Passing Go
by GeoGirl1
Summary: Eight years have passed since Chloe was diagnosed with leukemia, and her life has taken a very different path. She returns to Salem to rekindle old friendships and loves. Broe Fiction. Updated: Author's notes and chapters added.
1. A Different Path

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but a half eaten box of crackers and a statue of a snowman.  The characters in this story with the exception of Jules Archer and Maxwell Shepard do not belong to me.  They are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.

Chapter 1:  A Different Path

It was one-thirty in the afternoon.  The sun beat down hard upon the cobblestones of the lakefront walk.  It was hot, but a swift breeze from Lake Marion kept the crowds milling along the shore comfortable.  Seated at a wrought iron table half-in, half-out of the sun was a young woman.  An air of sophistication and seriousness hung around her, from her loose knot of hair secured with a pencil to the tips of her polished toes.  Littering the tabletop were massive textbooks lying open in a seemingly random pattern.  Instead of hunching over the tiny print, the young woman was slightly reclined in her chair with her sandaled feet stretched out to the opposite chair.  Her gaze was set on the sailboats that were skimming about the surface of the lake.

            Her thoughts were a million miles away.  A recent graduate of medical school, she was going to begin her residency soon.  She felt incredibly lucky.  In a tradition known as the Match, she had entered her name into the national database that matched medical graduates to positions at teaching hospitals.  She had hoped just to be matched to a residency program and not have to participate in the following Scramble for unmatched positions.  She never imagined that she would be immediately matched to the one place she had secretly wanted to work at above all places.  In March, she received the notice telling her that she had been accepted to an internal medicine residency at Salem University Hospital.  She was going home.

"Hey Earth to Chloe-zoey!" a cheerful voice called.  Chloe Lane Wesley snapped her attention back to the table.  Her feet were unceremoniously dumped off the opposing chair as a flamboyantly dressed woman sat down.  She was wearing a leopard print sundress with a pair of three-inch platform sandals.  Her short dark hair had been recently dyed an amazingly attractive shade of blue.

            Chloe couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face.  Her friend, Julia Archer or Jules, never ceased to amaze her.  They had met during the first week of undergraduate classes.  At first Jules' outrageous and fun-loving nature had been a turn off to the usually reserved and serious Chloe, but it wasn't long before Chloe realized that Jules was just a wonderfully unique person that reveled in her own uniqueness.  She had a zest for life that Chloe admired immensely. 

            "What in God's name are you doing to that water?" Jules asked leaning over to peer into Chloe's mug.

            Chloe immediately stopped the rhythmic dunking of a tea bag that she had be absently doing for the past 20 minutes.  Dismayed, she noticed that her tea was several shades darker than what she normally drank.  Dutifully, she took a sip and grimaced at the strength of tea.  "Apparently," she laughed, "I'm trying to turn this tea into espresso."

            Jules laughed, a merry, melodic sound.  "Goof-ball," she chastised.

            "Crazy-lady," Chloe returned crossing her eyes and sticking out her tongue.

            "Hey ladies!" a male voice interrupted.  Both young women turned to smile at a young man in a vibrant Hawaiian shirt and kaki shorts.  Max Shepard, grabbed a chair from a nearby table, spun it around, and sat down.  Max was Jules' boyfriend of almost three years.  They shared the same zest for life and had been attached at the hip since their first meeting.  Luckily for Chloe, the couple always included her in their wild social life.  "Did you tell her yet?" he asked turning towards Jules.

            "Tell me what?" Chloe inquired.

            "I guess that's a no," Max laughed.  "Jules and I have made a big decision…"

            "We're moving to Salem!!!" Jules interrupted excitedly.

            "What!?!" Chloe gasped, a big grin splitting her face as she looked back and forth between her friends.

            "You know how Max and I have been talking about opening up our own club…" Jules began.

"Well," Max continued, "We decided that we didn't want to lose our favorite insane medical student…oops I mean doctor, so we began looking for properties in Salem."

            "It's just as good as any place else to open up a club," Jules added.

            "We found this building in the warehouse district," Max said.

            "It's perfect!" Jules squealed.

            "It needs some fixing up, but we're going to tackle it ourselves," Max explained.

            Jules and Max continued on about their plans for the future club.  Their vision was that of a bar, dance club, and live performance venue decorated in a mixture of exotic, retro, and modern styles.  Chloe doubted that anyone except the dynamic couple seated across from her could make such a place successful.  Fantabulous, as the club would be called, was almost guaranteed to become the hippest, most outrageous, and fun-filled place in the sometimes sleepy town of Salem.  Despite all their eccentricities, Max and Jules were two very intelligent business people.

If it was possible, Chloe widened her grin.  There was nothing in the world that could have made her happier than the news that her two best friends were going to remain close.  Wild, zany, and incredibly caring, they had kept her sane through the difficult and time-consuming experience that was medical school.  

"When are Craig and Nancy coming to get you?" Jules asked.

"This Friday," she replied.  "My lease is up on the first of the month."

"They must be excited that you're moving back to Salem," Max commented.

"You have no idea," Chloe chuckled,  "Mom insists on calling me Dr. Wesley every time I talk to her.  Poor Dad can barely contain himself.  He literally did a back flip when he found out I was matched to SUH.  He keeps telling me that I won't get any special treatment because I'm the COS's daughter, but Mom let it slip that he's already order all my supplies, scrubs, and lab coats."

"Ha, too funny!" Jules snorted.  "I just love your parents."

Chloe could only laugh and nod in agreement.  Although it seemed like a lifetime ago, there had been a time when Chloe had not been so appreciative of Craig and Nancy.  When she had first gone to live with her mother and stepfather, she had been so angry and immature.  Even now, she cringed to think of all the nasty things she had said to them those first couple of trying years.  Despite her best defenses, the couple had wormed their way into her heart.  

When circumstance faced her with death, Chloe had been forced to re-evaluate what really made life worth living.  She realized just how wrong her outlook towards the world had been.  It was only then that she was able to release the pain and anger she had unknowingly been carrying with her.  Even though she did finally find her birth father and his family, she found that she didn't really need them in her life.  They became nothing more to her than Christmas and birthday cards each year.  Nancy and Craig became simply Mom and Dad, titles they would retain for the rest of her life.  To show her love and appreciation for them, Chloe legally changed her name to Wesley on her nineteenth birthday.  If possible, Craig had cried more than Nancy.  

Leukemia, the disease had changed the course of her life in so many ways.    As round after round of chemotherapy and radiation ravaged her body, she began to deeply admire the medical staff that fought so diligently beside her.  After the bone marrow transplant that saved her life, the desire to save lives as she had been saved gave purpose to her second chance.  It seemed so natural to give up her life-long dream of being an opera star.  Opera, while beautiful and inspiring, could not compare to the miracle of medicine.  Her musical talents brought her much more joy when used to comfort the sick and the dying than it could ever have bringing her fame and fortune on the stage.

"Do you want Jules and I to help you move?" Max asked interrupting her private revelry.

Chloe snapped her attention back to the here and now.  "Sure.  You know Mom and Dad love to see you two."  Actually, Craig and Nancy had been slow in warming up to Max and Jules.  Initially, they had been frightened by their outward appearance and their occasionally overwhelming personalities.  In time, they came to love the couple as much as Chloe did.  It was impossible to hold out against their earnest and free-spirited outlook.

"Great," Max beamed, "Just give us a call when you want us to come over."  He looked down at his watch.  "Oh, I gotta run.  I'm expecting a phone call this afternoon."

Max rose and placed a quick kiss on Jules' head before trotting off.  Jules and Chloe fell back into conversation about their future plans.


	2. Returning Home

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but a half eaten box of crackers and a statue of a snowman.  The characters in this story with the exception of Jules Archer and Maxwell Shepard do not belong to me.  They are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives. Chapter 2:  Returning Home 

Chloe's homecoming had been a joyous event.  Although her parents had protested, she decided that she would find her own place.  The Wesley house was indeed her home, but she feared the hectic schedule of a first year resident would be too disturbing to Craig and Nancy's routine.  They, of course, insisted that it wouldn't be any different from when she had been in high school, but truthfully they had become used to their peaceful empty nest.  Besides, poor old Sugar had finally passed away, and Chloe just could not get used to Nancy's new puppy, Spice.

Chloe was saved from apartment hunting by her friends.  Max and Jules had insisted that she take the other apartment above their soon-to-be club.  Although she felt guilty taking advantage of their generosity, she couldn't resist the great deal on rent they offered her.  A first year resident didn't exactly rake in the big bucks, and Chloe refused to take handouts from her parents.  In the end, both parties benefited from the arrangement.  Chloe got a massive apartment at a bargain price, and Max and Jules got Chloe's help with the remodeling.

Chloe began her residency within a month of her moving.  Her work was all consuming.  She went in early, left late, and every fourth night she was on call (working 30-36 hours straight).  The goal of this grueling schedule was to see and treat as many patients as possible.  When she wasn't seeing patients, Chloe was busy reading medical texts or attending lectures.  Secretly, she had developed a deep fear that a patient would come in that she wouldn't be able to treat.  That fear kept her motivated to keep on learning.

As the bottom of the food chain, the work of a first year, or intern, was very rarely enjoyable.  For Chloe, the unpleasant nature of her work was magnified by the fact that her stepfather was the chief of staff.  Disgruntled doctors and nurses took special delight in making her do the most menial of jobs.  She was the first to be criticized and the last to be praised.  

Despite the initial roadblocks, Chloe took to being a doctor amazingly well.  Drawing on the time when she had lain in hospital bed clinging to life, Chloe developed a natural and easy bedside manner that patients and families responded to immediately.  She thrived in the competitive and demanding environment of the hospital.  In the end, her passion and skill at the job earned her the grudging respect of the other residents and doctors alike.

Sleep and free time became a luxury.  Just as in medical school, Chloe made the most of every spare moment she had.  It was easy with Max and Jules across the hall.  The couple seemed to save up all their zaniness for when she was around.  If they went shopping together, they came home broke.  If a night out was on the docket, they all staggered home and collapsed.  Even the mundane task of remodeling the club became a festival of laughter and practical jokes.

Craig and Nancy were pillars for her.  During her first week at the hospital, Craig had mistakenly come when Chloe was paged.  He was somewhat embarrassed by but strangely proud of the confusion.  Chloe had offered to go back to using the name Lane, but Craig's protest had been overwhelming.  Soon the hospital staff was sure to page the two doctors by their full names.  Craig's office was always open to her, and she often went there seeking his advice and support.  He seemed to know exactly what to say to challenge her intellect while keeping up her confidence.  Nancy had been invaluable to her as well.  She kept up on the little things that Chloe no longer had time to accomplish.  Somehow once a week, Chloe's apartment was cleaned, her fridge stocked, and her clothes laundered.  Chloe knew that her mother was responsible for these mini miracles, but she suspected the Jules had a lot to do with them as well.

With support from her family and friends, Dr. Chloe Wesley had a fulfilling life in Salem that poor Chloe Lane never would have imagined.


	3. Old Friends

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but a half eaten box of crackers and a statue of a snowman.  The characters in this story with the exception of Jules Archer and Maxwell Shepard do not belong to me.  They are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.

Chapter 3:  Old Friends 

Chloe's departure from Salem had been gradual.  She had broken the ties to her hometown one by one.  After graduating from high school, her friends had rallied around her to help fight the leukemia.  They had visited regularly, held a bone marrow drive, celebrated her triumphs, and wept at her defeats.  Chloe always imagined her life filled with these people: Belle, Shawn, Mimi, Phillip, and Brady.  Once she was on the road to recovery, however, everyone had felt safe to resume his or her life again.  Time, as it is want to do, began to separate them.

Phillip was the first lost.  He had been so passionately overwhelming in his love for her.  Their relationship had never been a smooth road, but in the calm times Chloe would have sworn that she loved him.  Chloe, when healthy, had been able to overlook the shortcomings, but the illness had pulled them into the light.  One time after a nasty altercation between Phillip and Brady, Chloe had realized that Phillip didn't want to love her so much as he wanted to control her.  His whole life seemed to her to revolve around the selfish upkeep of his ego, and his image of her as the perfect girlfriend was part of that ego.  

The leukemia took away his control over her.  Phillip couldn't control the way she became emaciated, the loss of her hair, or the lethargy that kept her from doing the simplest of tasks.   The emotional changes the disease wrought on Chloe were more confusing to Phillip than the physical changes.  Chloe became less dependent and more determined to live life on her own terms.  Her personality became softer and more philosophical, and her dreams became more humble and altruistic.   These changes had been too much for Phillip.  He had left, and their parting had been harsh and bitter.

The truth be told, Chloe was glad to be rid of the yoke that was Phillip.  She had not realized how oppressive their relationship had been until he was gone.  Phillip tried to bring in his own doctors, he complained loudly about who visited her and when, and he flooded her with gifts trying to buy her affection.  Sadly, she did not know much of anything about Phillip's life after that first summer.  All she knew was that he had bent to his father's will and gone to Harvard.  She imagined that he now worked for Titan and was happy there.

The loss of Belle and Shawn had been less dramatic than Phillip's leaving.  Belle had been without a doubt her best friend in high school.  They had been as close as sisters that summer Chloe was sick.  However come fall, Belle had gone to Columbia while Chloe had remained in Salem recovering.  They had maintained contact through email and long telephone conversations, but the time between those conversations began to grow longer and longer.  When Chloe finally made it to college a semester late, different interests and new friends drew them farther apart.  Finally, the insane schedule Chloe maintained in medical school had severed almost all interaction between them.  Except for Christmas cards or the random letter, she never heard from Belle directly.  With the loss of Belle, she had lost Shawn.  

Through Craig and Nancy, she kept abreast of what Belle and Shawn were doing.   Belle had graduated from Columbia with a degree in broadcast journalism.  She had worked briefly with an NBC affiliate in Salem before becoming the fashion editor at Basic Black.  It came as no surprise to anyone that Shawn had gone on to become a police officer and now worked along side his dad.  Belle and Shawn were married three years ago, and their union had already been blessed with a baby boy, Victor John Brady.  Chloe had been invited to the wedding but had been unable to attend due to finals.

Surprisingly, Chloe had remained in close touch with Mimi longer than Belle.  Through some strange happenstance of fate, Mimi and Chloe ended up at the same undergraduate college.  They had never been, and would never be, the best of friends, but Mimi became her most dependable of acquaintances.  Throughout her first four years of college, Chloe could always count spending time with Mimi around campus.  They rented movies together, went shopping together, and generally looked out for one another.

Chloe's friendship with Mimi had always been out of sight, out of mind.  When they were together they got along, and when they were apart, neither spent too much thought on the other.  It did not surprise Chloe at all, or upset her, that once Mimi disappeared from her life after receiving her degree in English literature.  Of course Chloe knew what became of Mimi, everyone did.  Mimi, the most underestimated student of Salem High, became a New York Times best selling author.  When she wasn't writing her next work of literary genius, she was jetting around the world promoting her books.  Chloe applauded Mimi's success and cherished the signed copies that Mimi always remembered to send her.

It was perhaps the loss of her friendship with Brady that puzzled Chloe the most.  Belle's older brother had been an even closer friend to her than Belle.  They were so much alike in their make up, real kindred spirits.  During her sickness, he had been the only one on whom she felt she could pour her deepest fears and thoughts.  He had been wonderful during that time:  visiting her everyday, cheering her up when she was blue, and taking an active roll in her treatment.  Even though he had always pushed her to become the Diva, Brady was the only one who ever really understood why she had given up singing in favor of medicine.  He helped her move into her college dorm, he barraged her with emails and phone calls, and visited her almost every weekend.  During her first summer vacation, they had practically lived in each other's pockets.  It was during that bliss-filled summer that their relationship had gone beyond just being friends.  Their affair had been passionate if brief.  They never had officially dated or made a commitment to each other, but they had an unspoken agreement.  Looking back, Chloe guessed that the intensity of their bond had scared both of them.  

Chloe returned to school, and Brady moved to London to kick off a European version of Basic Black.  They remained in constant communication and even managed a few brief romantic rendezvous, but the distance and their careers got the best of them.  By the time she took the first part of her Medical Licensing Exam, it had been almost a year since the last time they had spoke.  The break up happened so gradually that she didn't notice when exactly they parted ways.  Chloe still often wondered if Brady had stopped talking or if she had stopped listening.

Returning to Salem had brought all her old friends to the forefront of her mind.  Chloe knew that Belle and Shawn made their homes here, but what about the others?  Every night before going to bed, she made a vow to contact them.  Every morning, she forgot that vow as the day's tasks gobbled up her time.  It might have gone on like that indefinitely, if Chloe hadn't literally ran into Dr. Evans at the hospital.

"Oomph," Chloe grunted as she collided with someone in the hallway.  "I'm sorry," she murmured reflexively before recognizing the person she had practically mowed down. "Dr. Evans!"

"Chloe!" Marlena replied equally delighted.  She caught the young woman who had practically lived in her house in an embrace.  

"What are you doing in the ICU?" Chloe asked.  

"Just consoling one of the patients who is having a rough time of it," she replied.

"You must mean Mr. Overby.  I thought he was having trouble accepting what the doctors were telling him," Chloe sighed.  Not wanting to discuss patients in the hallway, Chloe drew Marlena off to one side.   "It's so good to see you!  I can't believe that we haven't run into each other before."

"John and I were out of town on a little vacation.  When we got back, I heard that you had started your residency here.  I was planning to track you down earlier, but you know how it gets around here," Marlena smiled.

"I completely understand," Chloe replied rapidly, "My schedule has been so hectic that I haven't hardly had time for anything else.  I've wanted to catch up with Belle and Shawn since I've moved back."

"Well they will certainly be glad to hear from you.  Did you know that they are expecting another child?"  Marlena asked.

"No," Chloe replied, "I hadn't heard that.  When is the baby due?"

"September," Marlena answered.

Before either could continue, a series of alarms went off from inside one of the rooms.  A group of nurses and doctors rushed towards the source of the noise.  "I'm sorry Dr. Evans," Chloe apologized, "I've got to go.  I'll stop by your office later."  With a quick wave, Dr. Wesley disappeared into the ICU.


	4. Family Dinners

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but a half eaten box of crackers and a statue of a snowman.  The characters in this story with the exception of Jules Archer and Maxwell Shepard do not belong to me.  They are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.

**Chapter 4: Family Dinners**

Brady Black pulled his silver Mercedes into the driveway of his sister's house.  A yellow Labrador trotted out to greet him as he opened the car door.  "How's it going Buddy?" he asked the good-natured canine patting it on the head.  Buddy barked in response and followed Brady along the flower-lined path to the front door.

A wreath of dried flowers adorned the hand-carved oak door.  Brady pushed the bell and then rapped a playful rhythm on the wood.  Almost immediately, it swung open to reveal the smiling face of his brother-in-law.  

"Brady good to see you! Come in," Shawn said stepping aside, "How are things going?"

"Not to bad," Brady replied, "and you?"

Shawn led him towards the kitchen.  "Things are good.  Belle's feeling good.  Little V is chattering and running up a storm."

As they entered the kitchen, Belle left the pot she was stirring and came up to embrace her brother.  Belle had changed little over the years.  She still had that youthful appearance and spirit.  Only now she was a mom of a two year-old and delightfully round with another one on the way.

"How is my favorite sister in the whole wide world?" he asked laughingly.

"Big as a house," she replied.

"I wouldn't say a house," Shawn teased, "more a truck."

"No not a truck," Brady offered, "How about a boat?"

"Oh stuff it both of you!  Shawn it's your fault I look like this in the first place," she scolded.

"Oh I think you had a hand in it too?" Shawn shot back in a sexy little voice.

Belle ignored him.  "And Brady, someday you'll get married and need to learn to how to sweet talk a pregnant woman."

Brady's smile dimmed just a little bit.  His social life, or lack there of, was a bit of mystery to his family.  Luckily he was saved from any attempts at a witty rebuff by a force that collided with his leg.  He looked down to see his squealing, rather messy, nephew clinging to his leg.  "Little V, what are you up to?" he asked picking up the sturdy little boy and setting him on his shoulders.

Little Victor rattled off something somewhat understandable about a new toy.  Brady allowed the little boy to direct him to his room to see this new wonder.

Marlena and John arrived shortly after Brady for the weekly Black family dinner.  Experiencing a bad case of the empty nest syndrome, his parents had requested that one night a week be dedicated to a family dinner.  The location of the meal varied from week to week between the Black penthouse and Belle's place.  Once in a while Brady took them out to eat, but he wasn't really expected to be an active participant with the new family ritual. 

After the chaos of the arrivals, the Black family finally managed to settle down to the table.  Little Victor was seated in his high chair between his mother and his grandfather.  He gleefully squealed and laughed as Grandpa John fed him small bites of this and that.  Marlena and Belle picked at their food like delicate birds while the men made no qualms about shoveling it in.

When dinner was finished, Little V was taken upstairs by his dad to be washed and put to sleep.  The rest of the family retired to the living room for coffee (hot water with lemon and honey for Belle).  Brady reclined slightly in an over-stuffed chair and let the conversation whirl about him.

"You'll never guess who I ran into at the hospital today," Marlena began sitting down beside John on the sofa.  

"No, who?" Belle asked jumping at Marlena's bait.

"Chloe," her mother replied.

At that single word, Brady felt his whole insides clench.  He almost launched out of the chair before catching himself and settling back down.  _She was back in Salem.  She was at the hospital.  Was she sick?  Was she visiting someone?_  Brady forced the excitement and fear down into the pit of his stomach and tried to focus on the conversation.

"Chloe Lane?" Belle asked startled.  "I mean, Chloe Wesley."

"The same," Marlena replied.  "I ran into her in the ICU."

Brady's heart ceased and it became difficult for him to breath.  _The leukemia was back_, he thought.

"She's started her residency at SUH, and her current rotation has her in intensive care," Marlena continued.

Brady released his pent up breath.  His heart was still beating rapidly, but his insides had begun to unwind.

"Good Lord," Belle exclaimed, "I had forgotten.  Of course, she must be a doctor by now.  Did you talk with her long?"

"Not really," Marlena sighed, "We exchanged greetings, but then she was called away for a patient.  We were going to meet up later, but I guess we just missed each other."

"I wonder why she didn't tell me that she was back in town?"  Belle mused.

"Don't take it personally honey," Marlena reassured, "Residency is very demanding.  Chloe probably doesn't have time to sleep let alone track down old friends.  Oh," Marlena exclaimed reaching for her bag.  She withdrew a small note.  "Chloe left this with my secretary.  It's her new address and phone number."

Belle took the little slip of paper an examined it.  "She's not living with Craig and Nancy anymore?"

Marlena chuckled, "I think Craig and Nancy are too old to put up with her schedule."

"How does she look?" Brady asked abruptly.  Marlena and Belle turned towards him with startled expressions.  They had forgotten he was there.  His father just smirked at him with an all-knowing grin that Brady ignored.

"She looked good, healthy, but a little sleep-deprived," Marlena replied.

Brady didn't offer further comment.  He just sank into his own thoughts.

"What did I miss?" Shawn said cheerfully descending the stairs.

Everyone enjoyed a good laugh at his expense before filling Shawn in on the details.

Later that night as he drove home through the Salem streets, Brady allowed his mind to digest the night's shocking information.  Chloe Lane, no Chloe Wesley, no Dr. Chloe Wesley was living right here in Salem, USA.  It was mind-boggling.

At the beginning of their relationship, if you could call it that, Brady had been intrigued by Chloe Lane.  She was such a strange mix of strength and vulnerability, a tangle of volatile emotions, and a compromise between innocence and worldliness.  In her eyes he saw reflected the same pain, defensiveness, and desperate desire to be loved that often shone through in his own gaze.  Just as he did, she guarded her heart with a shell of bitterness and anger.  While he used yelling and fighting to drive people away, she used glasses and drab clothing.  It was like looking into a mirror, and he didn't like what he saw.  Brady didn't want to feel those things anymore, and he didn't want Chloe to either.  So, he set out trying to change not only her but also himself.  He had worked hard on himself; letting go of the old anger, making up with Marlena, and making some tough career decisions.  Chloe, he had pushed and prodded into focusing on her dream, loosing her carefully crafted defenses, and dropping Phillip.

Good old Uncle Phil!  Even now, Brady couldn't think of Phillip without feeling that old curl of jealousy in his gut.  Despite their strange family connections, Phillip and Brady had always managed to be some sort of friends.  However, the introduction of Chloe into their social mix had slowly pitted the two against each other in a war for her affection.  Too many times, it seemed as if Phillip was winning.  Phillips obsessive passion had overshadowed Brady's gentle support.  Chloe kept going back to him no matter how stupidly Phillip behaved.

Brady had loved Chloe.  The minute Dr. and Mrs. Wesley had stepped out of that hospital room and admitted to Chloe's stunned friends that she had leukemia; he had known the truth.  Before that moment, he knew that he liked Chloe, valued her friendship, and was attracted to her.  After the fateful announcement, he knew that he would die if she did.  Brady finally understood the all-consuming fear and pain that his father must of felt when he first learned about Isabella's sickness.

The emotions had overwhelmed Brady.  He had run into an ally and taken out his rage on the inanimate objects there.  Cancer terrified him.  It was his childhood boogieman.  Cancer took the people you loved away from you.  During that summer, he became plagued by a dream in which Chloe would ask Brady to carry her to the window so she could see the sky.  While he was preoccupied by the sunset, she would slip away in his arms.  He woke up crying in a cold sweat.  He began visiting her daily but never at sunset.  As haunting as that dream was, her sickness was the real nightmare.

            The fact that the cancer ate at her body didn't bother Brady.  Her physical appearance had never been that important to him.  It was the way the leukemia seemed to gnaw away at Chloe's soul that hurt him.  As the treatments became harsher and more frequent, she seemed to drift away.  The light in her eyes began to dim, and she seemed to give up on life.  Brady Black, who had never had any use for God, begged every night that Chloe would still be there in the morning.  Just as she took a turn for the worse, word came that a donor had been found.  Brady wept with joy when she made it through the transplant procedure. 

            The Chloe who came through leukemia was very different from the one who had been diagnosed with it.  She was born again with a passion for life.   Far off dreams of exotic opera houses were left along the roadside.  Her heart had never really been in opera; he had seen that.  It was just a childhood dream used by Chloe to escape the bad experiences of her younger years.  She told him once, "I want to live celebrating life, and what better way to do that then to become a doctor?"

            The cancer was gone and so was Phillip.  The road finally lay open for Brady and Chloe, but their relationship never progressed beyond friendship until one fateful night.  Even now, Brady could not exactly say how it happened.  One minute they had been talking in their old way, and the next moment they were caught in a passionate embrace.  Brady always suspected that once he began kissing Chloe, he would never be able to quit.  He had been right.  It was the first time for them in so many ways.  Chloe had been a virgin, and Brady had felt like one.  Brady's experiences at boarding school had not prepared him for wonder of making love to someone you actually loved.

            Chloe and Brady had spent one wild week as lovers.  They were as close as two people could be, both in body and mind.  By the end of that week, she occupied every thought that entered and left his brain.  Chloe Lane Wesley became his everything.

            The relationship that never officially started never officially ended.  There had been no knock-out-drag-down fight or tearful good-bye between them to finish it; instead, Chloe had given him a cheerful waved at the airport.  Neither of them had truly expected that to be the end of things, but somewhere deep inside Brady he had known that he was running.  

His father had once tried to explain his mother's death to him with these words, "Sometimes son, things are just beyond our control, and people you love leave you."  As a small boy, Brady vowed that he would let no one else in his heart.  Marlena and Belle had been the first people to make him break his vow, then Chloe.  The only way to save himself the heartache of their inevitable departures was to leave first.  Marlena he pushed away with anger.  With Belle, he used boarding school.  With Chloe, it was business opportunities abroad.  

            Pulling into his designated parking spot in the garage, Brady had an epiphany.  He was the biggest idiot ever put on the face of the Earth.  His own stupid convictions had cost him more of his life than any heartbreak ever could have.  He had thrown away years of love and support with Marlena and Belle.  With Chloe, it was too painful to even imagine what he had lost.


	5. So We Meet Again

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but a half-eaten box of crackers and a snowman statute.  With the exception of Jules Archer and Max Shepard, the characters are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.

**Chapter 5:  So We Meet Again**

            Brady looked over the proofs for the upcoming issue of Basic Black.  A slight knock on the door drew his attention from a beautiful blonde leaning suggestively over a car.  "Come in," he called.

            The door swung open to reveal his sister.  Belle was dressed in a delightfully cute light blue sundress.  She had Little V balanced on her hip.  Brady took a moment to admire how she managed to handle a squirming toddler while nearly six months pregnant.  She smiled at her brother.  "Hi Brady, are you busy?" she asked.

            "No, not at all," he said coming forward to take Little V into his arms.  His nephew was too interested in his toy car to pay any attention to his uncle.

            "Are you sure you're not busy?" she asked again struggling to sit in one of the cozy chairs in front of his desk.

            "No, just checking some proofs for the car buying article."  He wondered suspiciously, "Why do you ask?"

            Belle looked at her feet guiltily.  "You caught me.  I was wondering if you could give me a ride somewhere."

            Brady just raised his eyebrow.  Belle didn't like to drive after she reached a certain point in her pregnancy, and she didn't feel comfortable using the Basic Black limousine.  "Sure, not a problem.  Where do you want to go?" he asked.

            "Little V and I are going to visit Chloe," Belle replied.

            Brady froze.  His grip unconsciously tightened on his nephew.  Little V let out a yelp in response.  Brady immediately relaxed his hold.  "So you talked with Chloe?"  He hoped that Belle didn't notice the slight tremor in his voice.

            "Yeah, today is her day off and she invited us over.  She's really anxious to meet Little V.  I'm sure she won't mind if you tag along.  As I remember, you two used to be quite good friends," Belle explained.

            "You could say that," Brady murmured.

            "Let's get going then," Belle said.  She fought to get up.  "Why did I even bother to sit down?"  She was saved when Brady rushed forward to offer his assistance.

            Soon they were in the parking garage securing Victor in his car seat.  While he drove, Belle read directions from a little piece of paper.  As each turn brought them closer to Chloe, Brady felt his mood darken.  It had been years since he had seen her or even heard her voice.  He didn't want to acknowledge the nervousness in his stomach or the anticipation in his heart.

            "That's it!" Belle shouted pointing towards a parking lot.  "Turn here."

            Brady dutifully turned left into a parking lot in front of an old brick building.  The location and architecture of the place belied its past as a small warehouse.  With recent rezoning of the area, it was obviously one of many properties that were being converted for other use.  The lot had recently been repaved, and freshly planted flowerbeds lined the walk.   By the entrance was an excavation that looked it might someday be a water feature.  A new looking Art Deco style sign on the side of the building proclaimed, "Fantabulous." 

            "What is this place?" Brady asked as he helped Belle out of the car.

            "It's a club owned by a couple of Chloe's friends.  She lives upstairs and helps with their remodeling," Belle replied watching her brother expertly extract her son from his car seat.

            With his nephew in his arms and his sister by his side, Brady walked up to the door prepared to face whatever was on the other side.  He steeled up his will and knocked a little too hard on the door.

            The woman who opened the door momentarily stunned Brady and Belle.  She was dressed in a bright pink tank top and green polka-dotted caprice pants.  Her electric blue hair was pulled up into a style a la Pebbles Flintstone.

            Belle recovered her composure first.  "Excuse me, we're looking for Chloe Wesley."

            The woman's face broke into a brilliant grin.  "Of course," she declared, "You must be Belle.  Come inside and I'll try to hunt her down for you."

            Brady recognized her voice immediately.  "Jules Archer," he said with a grin,  "I should have known it would be you."

            Jules eyes widen.  "Brady Black," she shouted punching him lightly on the arm.  "I thought you were dead."

            "No, not exactly," he laughed, "Just left the country for a few years."

            "Well glad to see that you're back stateside.  Chloe-zoey will be so happy.  Come inside," she said holding the door for them.

            Belle and Brady felt as if they had stumbled into another world as the door closed behind them.  Just inside the doorway was a waiting area with comfortable looking but irregularly shaped, bright blue, green, and purple chairs on a fuchsia shag-carpet rug.  Beyond the waiting area was the bar with its glass block base and chrome trimmed black top.  Lined up along the bar were stools with chrome bases and brightly patterned cushions.  The floors were covered with black tile except for random splashes of vividly colored tiles.  The walls were still in the process of being painted with an exotic mural, so the total effect of the bar was not yet apparent.  Beyond the bar and the waiting area, the club was in disarray.   Boxes were haphazardly stacked in places, art was in the process of being created, and pieces of furniture were in various degrees of assembly.  They could tell from the work already done that Fantabulous would live up to its name.

            "Chloe-zoey," Jules called out into the chaos.  "Your friends are here." 

            A muffled response came from somewhere in the rear of building.  Soon a door swung open, and Chloe came through.  She was dressed in overalls and a white tank top.  She busily wiped her hands on a cloth before tossing the rag into pile of empty boxes.  "Jules honey, I think you need to call the air-conditioning repair man," Chloe suggested.

            A confused expression crossed Jules' face.  "I thought Max didn't think that there was anything wrong with it?"

            "Well if it there wasn't before, there is now," Chloe sighed.

            "He didn't?" Jules demanded.

            "Oh, he did," Chloe drawled.

            "Maxwell Shepard," Jules shouted storming towards the back of club, "I'm going to make you eat that air conditioner."

            Chloe simply laughed, a delightfully haunting melody.  She turned back towards Brady and Belle with a huge grin on her face that reached all the way to her baby blue eyes.  Brady was taken aback by how different she looked.   After the cancer treatments, her hair had come back in a couple of shades darker than before.  She had kept her hair short throughout college, but she must have let it grow out in medical school.  It was almost as long now as she had worn it in high school.  Today, she had it held back in two childlike braids.  Her heart shaped face had lost its baby fat and had a serene, mature countenance to it.  Her smooth skin glowed, and her cheeks were rosy from the heat.  She looked healthy.

            "Belle!" she exclaimed reaching forward to embrace her friend.  "How are you feeling?"

            "As big as a boat," Belle replied patting her stomach.

            "Don't be ridiculous," Chloe chastised, "You look fabulous!"  She turned towards Little V and Brady.   Brady desperately searched her face for any hints towards her thoughts, but he could only see her delight in their presence.  "Oh, this must be Little Victor.  Hand me that beautiful boy right now," she demanded outstretching her arms.

            Little V, who tended to be shy around strangers, surprised his mother and uncle by immediately reaching out his arms in response to Chloe.  Chloe settled him on her hip.  "Hi Victor," she said to the little boy, "I'm your Aunt Chloe."

            "Chloeeeeee," Little V squealed.  He threw his chubby arms around her neck and squeezed.  Relaxing his grip, he discarded the toy car he was playing with in the upper pocket of her overalls and grabbed one of her thick braids.

            Chloe laughed with delight then turned all her attention to Brady.  An unnamed emotion danced across her features, and Brady felt his heart slam against his rib cage.  "Brady Black," she murmured, "This is a nice surprise."  Impulsively, she reached forward with her free arm and caught him in a firm hug.  Before he could even react to return her embrace she pulled away.   "Why don't we go up to my place?" she suggested, "We'll leave the work to Max and Jules."

            With Little V firmly settled on her hip, Chloe led Brady and Belle through an obscure door at the back of the club and upstairs to her apartment.  

            Brady was secretly delighted by Chloe's residence as she led them on a mini tour.  The hardwood floors and exposed brick reminded him of his old loft, but Chloe's place was bigger and more open.  The majority of the apartment was one large room that incorporated a kitchen, dinning, and living room space.  Off the main room was a small hallway that opened up to two bedrooms and the bathroom.

            Chloe had decorated in a light and comfortable way.  Most of her furniture was natural wood and solid colors.  She seemed to favor tranquil blues, pale lavenders, and clean whites.  It was feminine without being too "girly."  Ansel Adams style photographic prints were leaned up against various spots on the walls ready to be hung.  The only wall adornment that had made it off the floor was a large bulletin board hanging in the kitchen by the phone.  It was covered with brightly colored notes, pictures, and a calendar with red ink scribbled all over it. 

            "Please, have a seat," Chloe said gesturing towards her living room area.  She let Little V down and dutifully handed him his car from her pocket.  Victor unceremoniously plopped down.  He seemed to enjoy the sounds of his car's wheels on the smooth, warm oak flooring.  The width of the floorboards was just perfect in his mind for a little street.

Belle sat on plush looking blue sofa while Brady favored a plaid patterned chair with a knit blanket thrown over it's back.  He realized belatedly that he had managed to choose Chloe's favorite chair.  It smelled strongly of a mix of wildflowers and cinnamon, a scent he would go to his grave associating with Chloe Wesley.  Further evidence lay on the little round table beside him where a stack of thick books with titles like _Principals of Internal Medicine_ and _Physician's Desk Reference_ sat with an empty cup and saucer perched on top of them.  Brady suddenly had a pleasing vision of Chloe curled in the chair with the knit throw around her shoulders sipping tea and reading about conditions of liver.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Chloe asked politely interrupting his thoughts, "I have lemonade, iced tea, cranberry juice, water…"

"Lemonade will be great," Belle replied.  Brady nodded in agreement.

When Chloe returned, she sat down beside Belle on the sofa with one leg curled underneath her.  She had cleverly positioned herself where she could talk easily to Brady and Belle while keeping an eye on Little V.

"You're place is wonderful Chloe," Belle commented.  A previously unnoticed wrought iron staircase that spiraled up from one corner of the room drew her attention.  "Where do those stairs lead?"

"Oh those," Chloe said following her gaze, "They go up to the roof.  We're planning on putting a garden up there, but right now there's just a rusty BBQ and half a picnic table."

"Half a picnic table?" Brady asked dubiously.

Chloe laughed, "Yeah.  Max swears that it was in one piece when he picked it up, but one leg and a bench were missing by the time he got home.  Personally, I think he's just too proud to admit that he got swindled."

Belle chuckled at the image of the poor, incomplete table.  "Mom said that you started your residency at SUH."

"I was shocked when I found out that I had been matched there.  It's either an act of God or an act of Craig.  Either way it worked out well.  I'm on rotation in the ICU now, but I will be moving to pediatrics next month," Chloe explained, "My residency is in internal medicine, but I'm planning to specialize in hematology-oncology." 

"So you'll be able to treat people with leukemia," Brady commented softly.  His heart was beating with so much pride that he was afraid that it would break his chest.

"That's the general idea," Chloe agreed, "I've got the whole 'been there, done that' experience to help patients.  I think it's the specialty where I have the most to offer, and although it may seem a little crazy, I feel like I have some kind of debt to repay."

"That doesn't sound crazy at all," Belle quickly said, "I, for one, am very proud of what you've accomplished."

The group lapsed into silence, each overcome by their thoughts.  Finally, Chloe asked,  "What about you two?  How are things at Basic Black?"

"Great," Belle chirped, "Although I think Dad and Brady are too indulgent, I hardly work anymore and most of my job can be done from home.  On the other hand, I don't think Brady ever leaves that place."

"Now that I can relate to," Chloe sighed thinking of her 100 to 120 hour workweeks.

"It's all right.  I have the time to spend."  Brady regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.  It was too telling a statement.  He quickly tried to judge his companions reactions.  Belle was looking at him with a confused expression, and Chloe had a look of pity and quiet understanding on her face.

Changing the subject, Chloe asked, "Have you guys had anything to eat yet?"

"No," Belle answered, "I was thinking we could go out somewhere."

"Go out?  No way!  I'll whip us up something," Chloe declared standing.

"That's not necessary," Belle began.

"Too late," Chloe insisted, "my mind is made up."

Chloe immediately busied herself in the kitchen opening cupboards and pulling things out of the refrigerator.  As she worked, her and Belle chatted easily back and forth about a number of different topics.  Brady withdrew himself from the conversation and wandered absently around Chloe's apartment.  He browsed her library and CD collections.  Just as he remembered, she had a broad taste in both literature and music.  For some bizarre reason, she had three different styles of Monopoly boards.  He turned and watched his nephew navigate a toy car through the maze of roads in his imagination.  Finally, Brady ended up absentmindedly reading her bulletin board.

Besides the usual grocery lists and phone numbers, a little round robin of messages was posted there.  The first message he read was written on a hot pink post-it note.  It said, "Chloe, you smell.  Love, Max."  Below it on a bright yellow post-it was, "Max lies.  Love, Jules."  The last note in the series was on white paper.  It read, "You three are crazy.  Love, Nancy."  Brady couldn't suppress his chuckle.  Another series went like this:  "Chloe, your dishwasher isn't working properly.  Love, Nancy."  "I looked at your dishwasher.  Love, Max."  "What the hell happened to your dishwasher?  Love, Nancy."  "I called the repairman.  Love, Jules."

"Something wrong with your dishwasher?" Brady asked.

"Oh the notes," Chloe said looking over his shoulder.  "No it's fixed, but a hard freeze would have turned my kitchen into a nice ice rink last Wednesday."

Brady chuckled following her back over to the counter.  "Is there something I can help with?"

"Sure," Chloe replied handing him a colander of rinsed tomatoes, "You can dice these."

Brady caught a glimpse of the massive amount of food she was preparing.  "Good God," he muttered, "Are you planning of feeding an army?"

All Chloe did was laughingly shake her head and say, "You'll see."

Right before they were going to sit down for lunch, Chloe's apartment door swung open and Jules strolled inside.  "How are things going in here?" she asked nonchalantly looking around.

Chloe shook her head with disgust, but a smile spread across her face.  "Yes, Jules you can join us for lunch."

"I thought you'd never ask, Chloe-zoey," Jules beamed.  She poked her head out the door and shouted for Max.  Almost instantly, a man wearing a bright blue bowling shirt and black jean shorts appeared.

"Jules and Max, this is Belle, Brady, and Little Victor," Chloe introduced.

Hellos were murmured and handshakes exchanged.  Extra place settings were added to the table, and everyone took their seats.  Max and Jules sat on one side of the table, and Brady and Belle sat on the other side.  Since Chloe didn't have a highchair or a booster seat, she sat with Little V on her lap at the head of the table.  Belle had protested, but Chloe just waved her off.

The rest of the afternoon melted away in whirl of fun and laughter.  Any misgivings Brady had held about being around Chloe again were gone by the time he and Belle left her apartment.  While the awkwardness between them was not entirely gone, their old camaraderie overshadowed it.  The old desire was back as well.  Brady felt himself focusing on her every movement.  He longed desperately to discover with his lips and hands exactly how time had changed her body.  No, he was not done with Chloe Lane Wesley yet.

**************

Author's Note:  In case anyone is wondering about Chloe's schedule, medical residents do indeed work an average of 90-120 hours per week (out of 168 possible hours) depending on their specialty.  The American Medical Student Association is leading the fight to pass legislation to limit resident work hours to 80 hours per week with a shift limit of 24 hours.  Read more at http://www.amsa.org/.


	6. Sisterly Advice

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but a half eaten box of crackers and a statue of a snowman.  The characters in this story with the exception of Jules Archer and Maxwell Shepard do not belong to me.  They are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.

**Chapter 6:  Sisterly Advice**

With Little V carefully tucked away in the back seat, Belle tried to gather her scattered thoughts together.  Chloe was happy with her life.  They had talked with each other like old times, and she was great with Little V.  The boy had taken quite a shine to his "Aunt Chloe," and Belle felt a twinge of regret that she hadn't tried harder to remain in touch with her.

Today had been a real eye-opener for her.  Belle was shocked by the tension in the air between her friend and her brother.  _Had that always been there?_  Belle remembered that years ago, right after Chloe had been diagnosed with leukemia, her brother had off-handedly admitted that he was in love.  Unfortunately, Belle had been so preoccupied by her relationship with Shawn that she hadn't paid much attention to what was going on around her.  The truth was that Belle didn't want to get too involved with Chloe and Brady's budding relationship, whatever it may be.  She was too close to the situation, too close to the people, and wouldn't be able to maintain an unbiased viewpoint.  As much as Belle wanted Chloe to confide in and reach out to her, Belle couldn't help feeling relieved that she didn't.   Belle's big heart hated to see people get hurt, and in the Chloe-Phillip-Brady situation hurt was unavoidable.  Someone was bound to end up unhappy, and Belle couldn't bear to see her brother or her friends that way.   

Chloe had purged Phillip from her own life, and Belle had stood by her decision.  For a long time, Belle secretly waited for some sort of announcement from Brady and Chloe, but it never came.  Belle went away to college, then Chloe went away to college, and then Brady left for London.  They drifted in their own unique directions like ships leaving from the same port.

Belle's curiosity gnawed at her.  Motherhood and adult life had washed all the subtlety from Belle.  "Brady why didn't anything ever happened between you and Chloe?" she asked bluntly.

"What!?!" Brady gasped veering dangerously on the road.

"Be careful!" Belle yelled.

Brady readjusted and quickly slowed.  "Sorry."

Belle stood her ground.  "You didn't answer my question," she pointed out.

Brady shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  "Well…um…you see…"

"You mean something did happen between you and Chloe?" she interrupted. 

"Yes," Brady admitted.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Belle said incredulously, "I can't believe that she didn't tell me."

"Listen Belle," Brady sadly explained, "It was a long time ago.  It was never anything official, and it never really went anywhere."

"So you just had a little fling with my best friend? Is that it?" Belle demanded.  Her ire was beginning to rise involuntarily.

"God Belle, No," Brady blurted.  "It was…it was like one moment we were together, and then we weren't."

Belle didn't understand, but she doubted Brady did either.  "Did you love her?"  He didn't answer, but she could see the muscles of his jaw working.  His silence answered for him.  Belle felt her heart break for her brother.  "What happened?" she asked quietly.

"I honestly don't know," Brady confessed.  "She went back to college.  I went to England.  Our lives just took us in different directions."

"Did you even try, Brady?" Belle demanded.

"What I was supposed to do?" Brady returned defensively.

"I'm not stupid Brady," Belle spit back, "I know that you didn't have to go to England.  Dad could have sent Kate or Carrie."

"Dad needed me over there," Brady insisted.

"No he didn't," Belle argued, "You were running, just like you always do.  I bet you never even told Chloe how you felt."

Belle could tell from Brady's expression that she had hit upon the truth.  Her anger rose as he responded,  "We had an understanding."

"You had an understanding," Belle uttered, stunned, "God, that's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard.  If you love someone, you tell him or her."

"Chloe and I didn't work like that," Brady rationalized, "Not everyone marries their childhood sweetheart Belle."

"Brady, I'm sorry, but that's bull shit.  You were there.  You know what Shawn and I went through to be together," Belle lectured, "But we never gave up!  We never turned tail and ran.  You should be glad that you have a second chance!"

Brady's bemusement showed in his voice, "What do you mean?"

"For a smart man Brady," Belle quipped, "You can be so dense.  Chloe is single…you're single.  Are the dots starting to connect?  Do have any idea how lucky you are that she's even in Salem now?"

"What do you mean?"  He was starting to sound like a broken record.

"Look, Chloe told me about the process they use to find residencies for medical graduates," Belle explained, "The number of people looking far exceeds the number of positions.  She could have been placed anywhere in the country, and she would have had to go.  A residency program is three…four years long, and then there's another three years fellowship in her specialty.  In case you can't do the math, Brady, that's seven more years.  I don't need to tell you that a lot can happen in seven years.  Maybe, just maybe, after that time she would have returned to Salem.  Then again, maybe you would never see her again.  Is that something you could have lived with, Brady?"

Brady remained silent, but Belle could feel that she was reaching him.  She continued, "You obviously are still interested in her, and there is nothing standing between you two anymore.  Life goes on whether you like it or not.   If you miss this opportunity, you may never get another."

As Brady pulled into her driveway, his mental duress was palatable.  "What do I do?" he finally asked brokenly.

Belle just smiled as she opened her car door.  "Well Brady, you could start by asking her out."


	7. Invitations

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but a Lord of the Rings Calendar and a tape dispenser.  With the exception of Jules Archer and Max Shepard, the characters in this story are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.

Chapter 7: Invitations

            Three weeks had passed since Belle, Brady, and Little Victor's visit, and Chloe was now on rotation in pediatrics.  There was something both highly rewarding and deeply heart wrenching about working with children.  On many levels, they were the best patients.  Children didn't second-guess your decisions, their attitudes were generally better, and they were little troopers when it came to treatments.  They seemed able to accept things that adults couldn't or wouldn't.  On the other hand, a sick and hurting child was the most painful sight in the entire world. 

            With permission from one of fourth-year residents, Chloe took off for her lunch break.  Feeling somewhat anti-social, she made her way towards Craig's office.  Being the COS's daughter had some perks, and one of them was being able to eat your lunch in his office.  Craig was away for a few days attending a medical conference in Boston, and Chloe was one of the few people who had access to his office when he was gone.

            Chloe reclined on one of the comfy sofas and placed her pager on the coffee table so that it wouldn't become muffled in the cushions.  She contemplated taking a nap but unpacked her lunch instead.  As she absently munched on her portabella mushroom and tomato sandwich, she let her thoughts drift away from diagnoses and treatments.  Her mind jumped back to the day she had been mulling over for the past three weeks.

            How nonchalantly Brady Black had waltzed back into her life!  Jules had just opened the door, and there he was.  She had been shocked but not surprise by his arrival.  Somewhere in her heart or mind, she had expected him to be there.  Brady looked good.  The expensive suit he was wearing had fitted his lean-muscled body too well.  He wore his hair a little longer than she remembered.  It curled just enough away from his scalp to dare her fingers to run through it.  Those intense blue eyes still peered into her soul like before, and she had to fight the simultaneous urges to run away from him and to jump into his arms.

            Chloe had struggled that day to focus on Little V, the darling boy, and Belle, her beautiful friend.  But time and time again, she found her eyes falling to where Brady was.  During their whole visit, her heart was beating so loudly that she could barely hear over it.  She had tried to chatty and witty, yet she was sure that she had been barely coherent.  Luckily for her, no one except Jules recognized her inner turmoil.  Of course, Jules was the only one who knew the whole truth.

            How many times did Chloe want to shout out, Why_, Brady?  Where did it all go wrong?_  _Why did we throw it away?  _The love he inspired in her hadn't dissipated.  The emotion had been beneath the surface all along, and three weeks ago it had emerged and had been strangling her ever since.  Familiar tears began forming in her eyes.  _We could have been happy_, she thought, _but we were both too stubborn to trust ourselves.  I was a stupid coward who ran away from the only thing I ever really wanted_.  Chloe felt like a little child lost alone in the woods, and she didn't know how to get back home.

            The buzzing of Craig's intercom interrupted her thoughts.  Chloe was so surprise by the sound that she jumped up to answer it without thinking.  "Yes?"

            "Dr. Wesley," a voice she recognized as Craig's administrative assistant said, "There's a man here to see you.  Should I send him in?"

            Chloe was baffled.  "I…I guess," she stuttered turning towards the office doors.  One swung open, and Brady glided in as naturally as the spring breeze.  Chloe's jaw dropped and her eyes widened.  A person with weaker constitution would have expired of a heart attack right there.

            "Hey Doc," Brady said laughingly, "Moved up to chief of staff already?"

            Chloe snapped her jaw shut.  She opened her mouth to speak but found no words.  Finally, she just gestured at the sofa where her partially eaten lunch sat abandoned.

            "Ah lunch break," he said reaching down to swipe her apple.  "Are you too good to sit with the other doctors?"

            She ignored his typical Brady-fashion remark.  "What are you doing here?" she demanded finally finding her voice.

            Brady chuckled with his eyes sparkling.  "I came here to see you in your element."

            "Craig's office?" Chloe asked befuddled.  Honestly, she couldn't get her brain to function.

            "No silly," Brady laughed, "Not that Craig's office isn't nice.  You're a doctor, and I came to see you in the hospital."

            "Why?" she blurted.

            "Fine, we'll cut to the chase," he sighed.  He took a bite of her apple and wrinkled his nose at the tart taste she loved.  With a flick of his wrist, the apple went flying into the wastebasket before she could even think to protest.   "I did a little detective work and found out you were off this Friday and Saturday.  I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me?"

            Chloe's heart soared.  He'd come here to ask her out on date, a real honest-to-God date.  "Yes!" she cried.

            A brief look of relief danced across his handsome face before it was replaced by a huge grin.  "Great I'll pick up around 8," he said turning to go.

            "Wait no," she shouted suddenly.  "I can't go."

            Brady's grin became an angry smirk.  "So make up your mind Doc!  Yes or no?"

            "Friday is the opening of Jules and Max's club," she explained, "I promised I would be there to help out if they needed it."

            "It's okay," Brady sighed, "I understand."  She could tell from his defeated expression and voice that he didn't.  He turned to go again.

            "Wait!" she called out desperately.  "Why don't you come to the club opening?  Jules and Max are hosting a little dinner at seven for a small group of friends before the official opening.  You could be my date, and then we can spend the night in the club.  I know it's probably not what you had in mind, but heck, Fantabulous is going to be the number one spot in Salem anyways.  You and I could be the first to test the waters."

            "I like the way you think, Doc," Brady said.  "You have yourself a date.  I'll see you at seven on Friday."  He planted a quick kiss on her lips and disappeared out the door.

            Chloe stood frozen in her spot trying to regain her composure in the wake of Brady's visit.  She had a date with Brady Black.  A squeal of delight that could have shattered eardrums escaped her lips.   She ran over to Craig's desk, spun around a few times in his desk chair, and dialed a familiar phone number.

            "Hello," Jules answered distractedly.  "For the love of Pete just put down the power drill," she shouted angrily to a nearby Max.

            "Jules!  You'll never guess what?  Brady Black was just here!" Chloe gushed into the phone.

            "Chloe-zoey is that you?" Jules asked bringing her full attention to Chloe.

            "Yes silly," Chloe giggled.  "Brady was here.  He asked me out."

            "Oh my God, Chloe.  I'm so happy for you," Jules congratulated.  "When?"

            "He's going to come to the club opening on Friday with me," Chloe explained.  The slight beeping of her pager caught her attention.  "Look Jules, I have to go.  I'm being paged.  I'll fill you in later."

            Chloe hung up the phone, threw the remains of her lunch in the trash, and practically skipped back to the pediatric ward.


	8. Opening Night

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but a Lord of the Rings Calendar and a tape dispenser.  With the exception of Jules Archer and Max Shepard, the characters in this story are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.

**Chapter 8:  Opening Night**

Brady Black had never been one to dream about the future.  As an adolescent, he didn't waste countless hours contemplating who and what he was going to be as an adult.  Perhaps he had realized early on that such dreams rarely came to fruition, maybe he believed on some level that the events of his life were beyond his control, or quite possibly the answer lie in a combination of the two.  Brady didn't dream; he set goals.  Dreams were fleeting, but goals were attainable.

If pushed, Brady would describe himself as "career minded."  While he would not characterize himself as obsessed with success, the choices he had made and the goals he had set in the past were primarily for the betterment of his career.  At some unknown point in time, Brady had unconsciously decided that he would get his career solidified before worrying about the other parts of his life.  Outside of his family, his friends were business associates and likeminded executives.  His social life for the past five-years, with few notable exceptions, had consisted of business lunch-ins and society functions where making an appearance was more mandatory than voluntary.  His efforts were rewarded with a fair bit of success.  

Belle's lecture had turned Brady's mind towards an avenue of his life that he had been reluctant to explore, his love life.    When you came right down to it, Chloe was the closest thing to a serious relationship he had ever had and that wasn't saying much.  There had been a few girls both before and after his relationship/friendship/whatever with Chloe, but there was not one among them that left him with any special memories or warm feelings.  Chloe had been it.  Before her everything was adolescent, and after her everything else was meaningless.

Belle's question haunted him, "_Did you even try, Brady_?"  No he hadn't.  He had waited in the wings for some sort of cue, but it never came.  Things fall apart easily when they aren't sewn together tightly enough.  He hadn't fought; so, losing was his only option.  In the back reaches of his mind, Brady started wondered what would have happened if he had turned all his energy towards Chloe and pursued her with the dogged persistence that he used to woo clients.  Would she have been able to withstand the full determination of Brady Black?  _I think not_, Brady smirked. 

Knowing that he wanted Chloe and deciding to pull out the stops to win her, gave purpose and focus to his life.  Brady began to create new goals and plans.  This time, he would do everything the proper way.  No doubt would be left in Chloe's mind as to exactly what his intentions were.  He had no time for misunderstandings now.  The first move had been to ask her out.  She had accepted, so the avalanche would begin.

The morning of the opening of Jules and Max's club, Brady sent a bouquet of flowers to Chloe.  His first inclination was to send long-stemmed roses, but they seemed more suited to a diva than a doctor.  Instead, he chose a beautiful mix of iris, tulips, and lilies.  On the card he had simply written, "See you tonight, Brady."  

The news of the Brady and Chloe's date had not remained a secret for long.  Belle, the ever-perceptive sister, had picked up on his unusually good mood.  She had hounded for two whole days before he confessed.  Once Belle knew the truth, everybody else did as well.  He loved his baby sister, but she couldn't keep a secret to save her soul.  His family's reaction had been overwhelmingly supportive.  Although Brady never knew it, his lack of a social life had become an increasing cause for concern for those around him.  The re-appearance of Chloe Wesley had shone a new light on Brady's confusing behavior.

Brady left the office early that afternoon.  Actually, his father had sent him home.  "Son you're so distracted that you're distracting me," John had good-naturedly grumbled.  "Go home."

At 6:30, Brady stood before his bathroom mirror.  He had changed three times before finding something that suited the occasion.  At first, the importance of the evening seemed to warrant a suit.  Then he remembered the casual zaniness of Jules and Max's club and changed into jeans and a print shirt.  Finally, he decided to go with a conservative mix of formal and casual.  He was pleased by the end combination of charcoal gray trousers and a lightweight blue turtleneck sweater that Belle had given him to match his eyes.

The drive between his and Chloe's place seemed to take an eternity.  As he turned onto the street and the club came into sight, he could tell that a lot had changed since his last visit.  A tall wrought iron fence enclosed the parking lot, and a large neon sign identical to the one on the side of the building had been erected as an invitation to all.  As he pulled into the parking lot, he nodded towards the attendant.  There were half-a-dozen cars already parked along the side of the building.  Brady pulled in along side them.

As he walked towards the entrance, he noticed that the landscaping had been completed.  The flowers appeared to be thriving, and the bare ground around the plants had been filled in with cedar chips.  The hole in the ground had been built into an attractively lighted water fountain and modern sculpture.  A plaque on the base of the fountain read, "Your wish will make other wishes come true.  All coins in the fountain will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation."  Brady smiled as he added a few coins from his pocket to those already littering the mosaic tiles beneath the water's surface.

A tall, burly man stood outside the door to the club blocking Brady's entrance.  "Name?" the man grunted with a grim expression on his face.  Obviously, the bouncer had been chosen for his brute strength and not his sparkling personality.

"Brady Black," he answered automatically.

The bouncer checked a list he withdrew from his back pocket.  Unceremoniously he pulled open the door, "Welcome to Fantabulous Mr. Black."

"Thanks," Brady said as he passed the bouncer.  A quick scan of the room didn't reveal Chloe.  A few people, clearly part of the staff, scurried around the room, and a small group of colorfully dressed people was congregated around the bar.  The first people he recognized were Jules and Max.  Indeed, the couple would have been impossible to miss.  Jules was wearing a pink, purple, and green paisley mini dress with a pair of pink platform go-go boots.  She had changed her hair color from blue to purple for the occasion, and it was arranged in a style that defied description.  Max was decked out in a similar fashion.  He had on dark olive green bell-bottoms with a loud print 70s style shirt.  On any other couple their ensembles would have been complete disasters, but Jules and Max managed to make it look not only hip but also attractive.  

When Jules spotted Brady, she came running forward.  "Brady," she gasped throwing her arms around him.  She smelled like cotton candy.   "I'm so glad you came!"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said giving her a little squeeze.  "Where's Chloe?"

"Oh, she just ran upstairs to check the dinner," Jules explained drawing him forward.  "She'll be back down in a second."

"Hey Brady," Max said greeting him with a firm handshake.  "Can I get you something to drink?  On the house of course!"

"Yeah sure," Brady replied.  "Scotch and water on the rocks."

"You got it," Max said disappearing.

It was a good thing Chloe appeared before Max returned with his drink, or Fantabulous' glassware would have suffered its first fatality.  She was wearing a sleeveless oriental-style dress of black silk embroidered with a silver floral phoenix design.  It was form fitting and long.  As she walked, the slits on either side of skirt opened to reveal the delicate curve of her leg.  Her rich mahogany hair was swept up in orient-inspired design.  Every stroke of make up on her from the polish on her nails, to her ruby lips, to the glittering eye shadow was designed to make her look both alluring and exotic.

Brady's mouth went dry as they made eye contact.  Her generous mouth slide into an easy smile, and she made a b-line towards him.  "You're here," she whispered walking into his arms.  As they embraced, Brady inhaled the scent of oranges and spice.  They drew apart, but he kept his arm around her waist.  He liked the warm, smooth feel of the silk fabric under his hand.  "Where else would I be?" he whispered in her ear.

"Thank you for the flowers," she said, "They were beautiful."

Brady felt the ridiculous urge to blush.  "I'm glad you liked them."

Chloe made the rounds introducing Brady since the majority of the guests were unknown to him.  They were her friends from college.  Luckily for Brady, Craig and Nancy were also present and dressed in their finest.  Brady and Chloe remained in easy conversation with them until Jules announced that dinner was served.

The party retired to Jules and Max's apartment for dinner.  Like the couple, their apartment's décor was wild and vibrant yet strangely inviting and comfortable.  Before the meal started, Chloe whispered to Brady not to question the food too closely but just to enjoy it.  He did.  Although he wasn't sure he could identify a single thing they ate, the food was a mixture of exotic flavors that was all together satisfying.  

Conversation flowed freely during and after dinner.  Chloe's friends were charming and open.  Stories were being told and, in some cases, being acted out from their college days.  The group laughed heartily until their sides ached.  For the most part, Brady was content to just relax and observe Chloe with her friends.  How she sparkled!  She radiated as brightly as the evening star with a smile always on her lips and laughter on her tongue. 

Time danced by merrily, and the excitement level began to noticeably grow within the party.  Every single person was there because they loved and supported Jules and Max, and everyone wanted tonight to be a smashing success.  Nine o'clock, the time of the club's opening, soon loomed large.

Within a half an hour of opening, Brady thought it clear that Fantabulous was going to be a great success.  Although it was still early in terms of the nightlife, the club was already packed.  All of Salem had seemingly turned out for the event, and from what he could tell they were enjoying the club.

Shortly before Jules and Max opened the doors, Chloe and Brady had snagged one of the booths along the wall.  They were magically designed to afford semi-privacy to the occupants while giving a full view of everything that was going on in the club.  Each booth had its own decorative theme, and the inspiration for their particular booth seemed to be a Monopoly board.  A waitress had promptly come by with a little sign for their table that read, "Reserved for VIPs."  Brady couldn't help laughing as he asked, "Whose the VIP, you or me?"

"Sadly," Chloe sighed dramatically, "I think it is I. Living upstairs has its perks, reserved seating and free drinks."

"Someday soon," Brady quipped, "I'll have to take you on date where I will actually pay for things."

"I'll hold you to that," she replied slyly slipping her hand in his.

Brady smiled pulling her close.  Tonight was definitely a good night.


	9. The Diva Returns

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but a Lord of the Rings Calendar and a tape dispenser.  With the exception of Jules Archer and Max Shepard, the characters in this story are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.

**Chapter 9:  The Diva Returns**

            Chloe would swear that heaven began in Brady Black's eyes and ended in his touch.  She had been a bundle of nerves the entire day, annoying Jules and Max to no end.  With a frustrated shout, they had finally thrown her out of the club and sent her upstairs.  Unfortunately, time went too slow in her apartment.  She tried to catch up on her medical journals but couldn't seem to get past the abstracts.  Then the flowers arrived from Brady, and she was so excited that she cranked up her stereo and danced around the room.  Finally, she just decided to start getting ready.

            _Why is it, _Chloe thought, _that you never had the right thing to wear when you needed it_?  She changed three times before she found a satisfactory outfit.  At first she had thrown on a sequined red cocktail dress, but it seemed too formal.  Then, she slipped into a comfortable pair of jeans with a green funky shirt, something she might have worn clubbing in college.  In the end, she opted to compromise with the chic Chinese style dress Jules had given her.

            Chloe should have known that Brady would appear the first moment she wasn't watching for him.  Annoyed by her fidgeting, Jules asked Chloe to go upstairs and ensure that the dinner had not burst into flames.  After obliging Jules by giving all the pots a stir, Chloe returned downstairs to find Brady there.  He looked wonderful, and when she embraced him, he felt and smelled wonderful.  _This is the way it's supposed to be_, she thought as she introduced him to her friends, _Brady and me together, happy_.

For all intensive purposes, this was their first real date, but it was without awkwardness and timidity.  Chloe and Brady were old friends after all, so words flowed freely between them.  He talked about his life in England; she recounted her experiences in medical school.  Their conversation was light and full of laughter.  The really important words, the heavy ones that needed to pass between them, were left unspoken.  She and Brady seemed to mutually agree that now was not the time or place for that discussion. 

_The Monopoly Table_, Chloe thought.  The secret joke brought a naughty little smile to her lips.  They chatted, laughed, touched, and watched the crowd.  Many faces were familiar to Chloe, and she suspected Belle had a lot to do with the club's success.  John and Marlena, Belle and Shawn, Bo and Hope, Susan and Kevin, employees from Basic Black, and her colleagues from the hospital drifted over to the table to chat with them.  For a while, it actually seemed as if the world revolved around her and Brady.

At ten, the lights in the club suddenly dimmed and the music that had been playing stopped.  Chloe smiled with anticipation.  Secretly, she had hoped that this would happen.   

"What's going on?" Brady asked craning his neck over the crowd.  Everyone in the club seemed to be wondering the same thing.

"Either a fuse just blew," Chloe answered, "or we're in for a good time."

Almost as quickly as the words were out of her mouth, a bright spotlight lit the stage.  Max stepped into the pool of light and up to a microphone,  "Ladies and Gentlemen.  My name is Max Shepard, and I am co-owner and operator of Fantabulous.  I'd like to thank everyone for making it out here tonight to see us off our feet.  Tonight and every Friday night, we're going to be having the best live bands in the mid-west right here for your listening enjoyment.  Please welcome, the 149th Street Band."  At the end of the announcement, the rest of the stage lights flared up and illuminated the band and the equipment that stood behind him.  The audience already excited by the club's atmosphere erupted with applause.

Chloe cheered loudly and watched the realization dawn on Brady's face as he began to recognize the band as their dinner companions.  As Max reached back and slung his own guitar over his shoulder, Brady leaned towards her and whispered, "Max is in a band?"

Chloe laughed.  "Could you imagine someone like Max not being in a band?" she countered.

"Touché," Brady said smiling and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

Max's band consisted of a three-person horn section, a drummer, a keyboardist, a bass guitarist, and two guitarists including himself.  The band, cleverly named for the street on which they had lived in college, had became quite popular playing frat parties and local bars.  They were the one and only band in Chloe's opinion that could have done justice to the momentous opening of Fantabulous.

As the opening chords of Hot Chocolate's _You Sexy Thing_ rang through the club, Chloe pulled Brady out into the crowded dance floor.  They moved and swayed with the music, a subtle seduction.  Dancing was one activity where they could be close and touch without the complications of a relationship or the messiness of emotions getting in the way.  A dance was just a dance, yet it hinted at something much more intimate.  Hot Chocolate gave way for a rendition of the Beatle's _Come Together_, but Chloe and Brady remained on the dance floor moving in time with the heavy rhythm.  They remained on the dance floor while the 149th Street Band plowed through their set of classic rock, disco, and funk favorites.  The gyrating crowd pushed them almost uncomfortably close to one another, but Chloe didn't honestly mind.  Every time she gazed up into his eyes, she felt like they were alone on the dance floor.  

As they drew to the end of the first half of their set, Max's band began playing their version of Wild Cherry's _Play That Funky Music_.  The crowd was completely nuts by this time.  As the band took a short break, Brady and Chloe beat a hasty retreat back to their booth.  They were both winded from the dancing and the crowd, but they grinned at each other like school kids.  A waitress quickly appeared and refreshed their drink order.

"I think it is safe to say that Fantabulous is a raging success," Brady commented.

Chloe let her eyes dart quickly around the room.  She smiled in response.  "I knew it would be," she said.

"Hi you guys," a cheerful voice interrupted.  Chloe turned her attention to Belle and Shawn who had materialized along side their booth.  "Is it all right if we join you?  Belle's getting tired and we've had trouble finding a seat."

"Sure," Chloe replied sliding closer to Brady.  Her actions weren't really necessary as the booth was designed to seat at least a half-a-dozen people easily, but she was now positioned so Brady could rest his arm around her shoulder.   "Are you two enjoying the club?" she asked her friends.

"This place is really amazing," Shawn said, his eyes roaming around.

"The music is great," Belle added,  "but I would enjoy it more if Shawn would stop making fog horn noises as I move through the crowd."

"Does he make the beeping sound as you back up like the dump truck does?" Chloe asked with a chuckle.

"No," Shawn said plastering a horrified expression on his face.  "But now that you mention it," he continued slyly as a grin split his face, "It's not a half bad idea."

Belle gave her husband a shocked look followed by glare that could have scorched his hair.  She turned her indignant gaze towards her brother,  "Brady, I expect you to defend me."

Brady didn't reply.  He was slumped over laughing hysterically at the image in his mind of his sister backing up to a dumpster.

"Pffft, some brother you are," Belle uttered.

Chloe giggled, but she couldn't stop her doctor side from peeping through. "All beeping and fog horns aside, I think you look amazingly healthy.  Are you sure that the club isn't too stressful for you?"

"It's fine," Belle assured, "Shawn and I don't get much opportunity to go out much anymore."  She fondly rubbed her tummy.  "Besides this one has been break dancing all night."

"Do you know if it's a girl or a boy yet?" Chloe asked.

"No," Shawn replied recovering his composure, "We like to be surprised."

"Ladies and gentleman," Max announced into the microphone, interrupting their conversation,  "For those of you lucky enough to see us during our days at the U, you might remember that once in a blue moon a very lovely lady would join us on stage."  The crowd cheered, and Chloe groaned inwardly.  She had forgotten to tell Max that tonight was not a good night.  "Well tonight you're fortunate," Max continued, "Cause I've checked the sky and the moon is the right shade.  Please give it up for our favorite female, Chloe Wesley."

Applause and catcalls were abundant as the spotlight swung over and illuminated Chloe in her seat.  "I…I," Chloe stammered looking desperately between the stage and her booth companions.

"Go on Chloe," Belle urged excitedly.

"Yeah, go on," Brady whispered as he slid out of the booth and helped her to stand.  "Sing Diva!" he urged pushing her toward the stage.  She hesitated until his smile reassured her that he was anxious to hear her sing.

Chloe felt a nervous flutter in the pit of her stomach as she weaved her way towards the stage.  Many times she had belted out tunes with Max and his band, but it had never been to an audience full of family and friends.  As she reached the stage steps, Max reached down to half drag, half help her onto the stage.  Whistles accompanied her up to mike.  From the back of the club she heard a loud voice shout, "PLAY MY SONG!"  Chloe laughed gently at Jules' request and bowed her head in a charmingly shy manor.  "Well," she sighed, "You heard the lady."

Chloe closed her eyes and reached deep down inside herself to that special place in her soul where the music came from.  She tried to imagine that she wasn't in Salem; instead, she was standing on stage in one of the bars they had played at in college.  In her mind, the place was filled with an audience of anonymous drunks that she would not be likely to encounter ever again.  As the familiar music intro started, she reached that necessary zone.  When her cue came, her eyes flew open and Gloria Gaynor's _I Will Survive_ escaped her vocal cords with all the passion and fire she saved just for the stage.  The stage lights blinded her and turned the audience into faceless shadows.  Chloe let all other versions of herself melt away, and the diva returned.

***********

Author's Note:  I glad that people have enjoyed Jules and Max.  They are based lightly on people I met during my many years in college.  Anyone wishing to use Max, Jules, the 149th Street Band, or Fantabulous in their own fan fiction are welcome.  I will be happy to fill you in with details about the characters, the band, or the club.  I just ask that you inform me of your intentions prior to the fact.  Also, I will be posting a list of songs that I imagine the 149th Street Band would play later.  Thanks for your supportive reviews.  This is my first fan fiction.


	10. Conspirators

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but some thumb tacks and a subscription to Newsweek.  With the exception of Jules Archer and Max Shepard, the characters in this story are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives. Chapter 10:  Conspirators 

Chloe and Brady's date would remain in the forefront of his thoughts for a while.  The clinker, the moment that etched the evening into his brain forever, was when Chloe took the stage to sing.  As she stood humble and small behind the microphone, Brady realized that he had not really heard her sing since her high school days.  He had certainly never seen her perform is such a public manner.  The anticipation tore up his insides as the music started, and he was stunned when her eyes flew open and her voice rose.  He thought he remembered the sound of her voice, but he was wrong.  The woman standing up on that stage belted out _I Will Survive_ with every fiber of her being.  More than that, her eyes sparkled and her body moved fluidly in a slight dance to add the perfect inflection to the song.  The power and the vitality of the performance overwhelmed him, and he was not the only one.

            The crowd had lapped up Chloe's performance with silver spoons.  She finished out the set with the 149th Street Band singing soulfully the music of Janis Joplin, Carol King, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, and even some Ella Fitzgerald.  At times, he felt like she was singing directly to him.  One song in particular had lodged itself in his brain, Fleetwood Mac's _Silver Springs_.    The lyrics went, "Time cast a spell on you, but you won't forget me / I know I could have loved you, but you would not let me / I follow you down 'till the sound of my voice will haunt you / You'll never get away from the sound of the woman who loves you."  Haunt was an apt word, since that night the sound and image of Chloe Wesley had haunted him.

            When the DJ took over and the band left the stage, Chloe had slid back into the booth beside him.  He couldn't find the words to describe his scattered emotions, so he just grabbed her hand under the table and gave it a squeeze.  Their fingers remained secretly entwined as family and friends migrated to the table to compliment Chloe on her performance.  She accepted all their praise with a shy smile and a slight blush.

            Their night together ended shortly after the club closed its doors.  Chloe walked Brady out to his car, and they shared an intensely passionate goodbye kiss.  Brady instinctively knew that it could have gone much farther than a simple kiss, but he was determined to do things the right way this time.  So, he departed that night with them both wanting more.

            With their first date securely behind them, Brady began his full frontal assault on her defenses.  He soon discovered that dating Dr. Chloe Wesley would be more difficult than he had initially planned.  Chloe's schedule was brutal, and Brady didn't want to jeopardize Chloe's dream of being a doctor.  He decided to change up his plans a little and became more creative.

            First, he thought to send more flowers to Chloe as a form of thank you, since their first date had been mostly her doing.  Instead, he had hit upon the brilliant idea of sending balloon bouquets to all of the patients in the pediatrics ward.  His spy in the hospital, Marlena, informed him that the children had be overjoyed at the gift from the Black Family Foundation, the Basic Black subsidiary that handled the all the family's charitable donations.  The children's happiness was just whipped cream; the real treat was the simple voice mail he had the next day from a very special doctor.  "Brady Black you are the craziest and sweetest person I know," Chloe's voice chimed in his ear, "Thank you very much."  Second, he manipulated technology to further his cause.  Every time a thought of Chloe danced through his mind, he shot off an email to let her know.  He almost overwhelmed her inbox in a single day.  Her voicemail also became a favorite target.  The third step stumped him a bit, how to spend time with the overworked doctor?

            Brady reclined slightly in his leather chair and contemplated the Salem skyline from his 24th floor office.  If he craned his neck to the right, he could just make out the low brick building that was the Salem University Hospital.  He rested his elbows on the arms of his chair and formed his fingers into pyramid.  _What to do next?_ He thought, _Perhaps it wasn't too early to bring in some allies_.  

            With a kick, he swirled around in his chair and hit the intercom button.  "Yes, Mr. Black?" the voice of his assistant answered.  

"Hold all my calls and visitors for a while, Karl," he ordered, "I'm going to be on some important conference calls."

"Sure thing, Mr. Black," Karl replied.

Brady clicked off the intercom and leaned forward to grab the phone.  He punched in the number he had memorized in record time.  The phone rang once, twice, and then was picked up with a breathy hello.  Brady's brow wrinkled with confusion, "Hello," he called into the receiver, "May I speak with Jules Archer?"

"Brady-wady," she gasped into the phone.  He smiled at her play on his name and took it as a sign that he was on the right track.  Only the names of people Jules didn't know or didn't like came out of her lips unscathed.  "You've been causing quite a stir around here Mr. Black!"

"Have I?" he chuckled.

"I'm thinking about investing in Teflon so it will be easier to scrape Dr. Wesley off the ceiling," she gushed, "That balloon stunt went over really well.  I take my hat off to you, sir."

"Are you wearing a hat?" Brady joked.

"Actually…no," Jules confessed, "So I'll take my shoe off to you.  What can I do for you?"

"I want to talk to you about Chloe," he began.

"One of my top ten favorite subjects," she quipped.

"I need some ideas for how to work around her schedule," he finished.

"Ohhhhh," Jules squealed,  "Romantic stuff."  Brady could almost picture her hopping back and forth in a little jig.  "First off, just about every night is bad."

"All nights?" he wondered.

"Yeah," Jules sadly confirmed, "When Chloe-zoey gets home, she usually just crashes.  Max and I try to check on her at least once a night.  I swear we find that girl sleeping in the weirdest places.  One time I discovered her standing, with the refrigerator door open, fast asleep."

"You're kidding," he uttered, "Do you have pictures?"

An evil little laugh rolled over the phone.  "Of course, what kind of friend do you take me for Brady?" she demanded.  "I've added it to the extensive file of blackmail material I've been collecting over the past eight years."

"I'd like to see that," he commented.

"I bet you would!"  She added, "I'm starting one for you as well, so I expect some asinine behavior from you ASAP."

Brady groaned as she chuckled.  "I'll do my best.  I hope I can live up to your exacting standards."

"Just follow Max's lead," she recommended, "He could teach a night class in embarrassing situations."  Snapping back to attention, she said,  "Now back to the task at hand.  Nights are pretty much off, so you need to squeeze yourself into her work day."

"Without putting myself in the hospital Jules!" he warned.

The silence at the other end of the phone was golden.  Brady heard a few sputtering sounds, then, "I would never suggest that you do yourself bodily harm!"

"But it would help my Chloe situation, right?" he goaded.

"Well it would solve the obvious access problem," Jules admitted, "but it probably isn't a good idea. So…here are my suggestions.  1) Surprise Chloe with gourmet lunches.  Remember she's a vegetarian.  2) Hang around Fantabulous at nights.  If Chloe is feeling coherent, this is the first place she appears.  Plus, we'd love to have your business.  3) Days off.  Tricky to pinpoint, but she usually gets one off per week. 4)…"

"Jules," Brady interrupted in disbelief, "exactly how many ideas do you have?"

"Umm…" He heard the distinct sound of papers being turned.  "Forty-six," she answered.  "If that's not enough, I can probably come up with more."

Brady was stunned, absolutely stunned.  "How long have you been working on this?"

"When did you ask Chloe-zoey out again?" Jules inquired.

"Never mind.  Can you just fax it to me?"  He shook his head as he read her the number.  "Thanks Jules."

"Any time Brady-wady," Jules replied.

A piercing siren interrupted their conversation.  Brady grew immediately concerned.  "Is everything okay Jules?"

"I think so," she yelled over the siren.  Brady couldn't quite make out a conversation that Jules was having with another person.  He was considering using the other line to dial 911 when he heard Jules shout,  "Max, what do you mean it's broken?  I just wanted you to change the battery!"

The siren stopped and then began to screech again in random short bursts.  Between shrieks of the alarm, Jules managed to say, "Good luck Brady-wady.  Keep me posted."

The silence was deafening after Jules hung up the phone.  Brady rubbed his right ear absently then transferred the phone over to his left ear before typing in a familiar number.  It was time to call in the other big gun.

"Hello," Belle answered cheerily.

"Hi Belle," Brady said,  "It's me."

"What's up big brother?" she asked.

"I need your help with a situation…" he began.

"With Chloe?" she interrupted, "Let me get my list."

Brady released a defeated sigh as he heard the sound of paper shuffling.  "Not you too?  How long have you been working on yours?"

"Huh?" Belle asked, distracted by her search.

"How long have you been working on your list?" he repeated slowly.

"When did you and I go over to Chloe's with Little V?" she inquired.  The distinct sound of a drawer snapping shut echoed over the phone.  "Here it is," Belle exclaimed.  

Brady ground his teeth.

"Okay, number one," Belle read.  "Invite Chloe to our family dinners.  Now, it will probably too difficult to try and schedule a specific night, so just extend an open invitation.  Number two…"

"How many?" he demanded in a flat tone.

"What?" Belle squeaked.

"How many items do you have on your list?" he clarified.

"Really Brady," she chastised, "There is no need to be rude.  You really need to learn to be more specific in your questions.  Any way, one-hundred and nineteen."

"You came up with one-hundred and nineteen things I could do to spend time with Chloe?" he gasped.

"Well I had help," she admitted.  "Shawn had a few ideas, so did Mom…and Dad…and Hope," she continued listing, "Zack, my assistant, your assistant, the doorman at the penthouse, that nice clerk from Dot Com, and oooh, my ob/gyn was a big help."

"Fax it too me," he muttered before hanging up the phone.

Brady was too shocked to even move after getting off the phone with Belle.  Apparently every single person in Salem had an opinion on the best way to woo Dr. Chloe Wesley.  For a moment, Brady couldn't decide if he pitied her or himself more.  

Karl barged into his office with a self-important smirk on his face and deposited two faxes on his desk before disappearing.  Brady sighed as he reached out to grab them.  He yelped with embarrassment as he glanced over the cover sheets.  Belle had entitled her list, "119 Ways for My Brother to Get Lucky."  Jules wasn't much better.  Hers was called, "46 Suggestions for Getting Some Doctor Loving."  He gulped as he started to scan the lists.  Their suggestions ranged from the mundane to the down right pornographic.  Karl's behavior could only mean that he had seen the cover sheets and probably read through the lists as well.  By the end of the day, the documents would most likely be plaster in every single break room in the building.  Brady immediately decided that he was the object of pity in this scheme.


	11. Life and Death

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but some thumb tacks and a subscription to Newsweek.  With the exception of Jules Archer and Max Shepard, the characters in this story are the intellectually property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.

Chapter 11:  Life and Death 

            At 4:56PM, Dr. Chloe Wesley lost her first patient.  Jeffery Christopher Stewart died at age six because primitive nerve cells that were not suppose to stay in his body after his birth did.  The resulting tumor that grew in his cerebellum led to the end of his short life.  As a doctor, even a first year resident, Chloe had recognized the symptoms of impending death.  The knowledge did not dampen the shock of the event; perhaps it made it worse.

            Dr. Fletcher, the attending physician on the case, called her team of residents together.  They occupied one of the abundant conference rooms and discussed how to deal with death and the dying.  Others listening in might have found the conversation harsh and unfeeling, but for the doctors, it was a vital step in learning to deal with something that was unavoidable in their field.  When the clinical discussion was finished, the residents had the opportunity to talk about their feelings.  Chloe remained stonily silent throughout the meeting.  Memories and feelings long since buried were suddenly overwhelming her.  Tears escaped her eyes, her skin was pale, and she couldn't stop her lower lip from quivering.  While everyone was disturbed by the day's events, she was taking the young patient's death much harder than the other residents.  

            As they were filing out of the room, Dr. Fletcher pulled her aside.  "How are you doing Dr. Wesley?" she asked.  Although Chloe only spoke about her leukemia when directly asked, it was common knowledge among her colleagues that she was a cancer survivor.

            "Not too well, Dr. Fletcher," Chloe whispered embarrassingly.

            In a surprising gesture, Dr. Fletcher put a reassuring arm around Chloe's shoulders.  "Why don't you go upstairs and talk with Dr. Evans?  Then you can go home for the evening," she suggested.

            "But…" Chloe began pointing blindly at the backs of her retreating colleagues who were going to sign out with that night's on-call team.

            "Listen Chloe," Dr. Fletcher explained, "You might not believe it, but attending doctors aren't completely heartless."  

            Chloe was surprised to see the sheen of tears in Dr. Fletcher's eyes.  She nodded mutely and made her way towards the stairs.  With each step she climbed, she felt her heart sink.  The guilt of not being able to save Jeff and the shame of her unprofessional reaction weighed heavily upon her shoulders as she approached the receptionist desk of the psychiatric ward.  "Dr. Chloe Wesley to see Dr. Evans," she told the receptionist.

            The elderly lady behind the desk must have recognized something desperate in Chloe's eyes for she buzzed Dr. Evans immediately.  Chloe didn't eavesdrop on the receptionist's short conversation with the doctor, but she nodded appreciatively as she was buzzed through the security door.

            Chloe rapped hesitantly on the Marlena's office door.  "Come in," a voice called from the other side.

            She pushed open the door and immediately caught sight of Marlena packing her brief case at her desk.  "I'm sorry to bother you Dr. Evans."

            "That's all right Chloe," Marlena reassured, "please come inside."

            Chloe took a silent seat and watched Marlena flip through a case file before stashing it inside her case.  Marlena glanced up and paused when she saw Chloe's pale expression.  "What's the matter Chloe?" she asked sitting down in her chair.

            Chloe couldn't meet her eyes.  She stared down at the floor and absently played with the textured upholstery on the chair's arm.  "I lost a patient today," she whispered.

            "Your first."  It was a statement not a question.

            "Yes," Chloe explained, "A six year old with a medulloblastoma.  It wasn't a surprise.  His condition had been deteriorating for the past week."

            "It's always a surprise," Dr. Evans commented in her wise manner.

            "I broke down later during a team meeting," Chloe confessed as if it was a grievous sin.

            "Were you upset because the death was cancer related?" Marlena asked softly.

            "Yes…no…I don't know," Chloe said absently kicking her feet.  "I can't say for sure what upset me.  Dr. Evans, you know what we're taught.  The first time they role out the cadavers for gross anatomy they tell you that you have to learn to numb yourself to death.  We practice what to say to patients and families, and I always believed that I handled it better than the other students in medical school because of my experiences with cancer.  I came to terms with my own mortality a long time ago.  I don't fear death.  I understand it. 

            "You know," Chloe continued, "Jeff's passing wasn't even traumatic.  It was peaceful.  He had a smile on his face.  I think in the end he knew, he saw, and he understood.  Yet, I felt like I was being kicked in the stomach.   I couldn't stop the tears, and I felt so stupid and guilty.  I mean I'm just a medical intern.  I've only spent a few weeks on the team caring for Jeff.  Dr. Fletcher and Jeff's family have been battling the cancer for three years."

            "Chloe," Dr. Evans said coming around her desk to sit next to her.  "You really don't need to beat yourself up over this.  You may not know it, but many doctors get upset and cry when patients die.  You will get to treat many patients over the years, you will get attached to them, and some of them will die.  I wish I could tell you that it gets easier, but I can't lie.  Emotions aren't the enemy.  No one wants a heartless doctor.  In time, you will learn a healthy outlet to deal with your emotions and find a way to use them to become a better physician."

            Chloe gave Marlena a wobbly smile.  She felt better, but not good.  There was nothing to feel good about when a six year old died.  "Thanks Dr. Evans," she said simply.

            "Why don't you go home and spend some time with your family?" Marlena suggest rising out of her chair.

            "I wish I could," Chloe replied standing to join her, "But Dad is at a pharmaceutical convention in New Orleans, and Mom went with him."

            "Why don't you come over to our place tonight?" Dr. Evans invited.  "John and I are hosting a little dinner."

            Chloe hesitated.  "I'm afraid that I won't be much company."

            "Don't worry about it."  Marlena waved her concerns aside.  "It's just family."

            Chloe smiled, "All right.  Dinner would be nice."

            "Do you have a car here at the hospital?" Marlena asked.  "Otherwise, I'm heading home now if you need a ride."

            "Thanks," Chloe replied, "I'll take you up on that offer if you give me a minute to change.  I usually take the bus so that I don't have to worry about falling asleep at the wheel."

            "I'll finish up what I'm doing here, and then we can meet outside the entrance."

            Chloe thanked Marlena once more before disappearing down to the locker room to change.  If she couldn't spend the night with her family, the Black family was a fine substitute.

*************

Author's Note:  I am not a medical doctor, but I have tried to be as accurate as possible in my portrayal of the residency experience and of medical procedures.  The psychiatric ward of a hospital has higher security at least in my experience visiting friends there, Chloe's reaction to the death of her patient is based on accounts from real doctors and medical students, and medulloblastoma is a form of cancerous brain tumor found in children especially boys.  Brain tumors are the most common form of cancer in children behind leukemia and lymphoma.  To learn more about medulloblastoma and other cancers, visit the National Cancer Institute website at http://www.cancer.gov.


	12. Revelations

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but some thumb tacks and a subscription to Newsweek.  With the exception of Jules Archer and Max Shepard, the characters in this story are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.

Chapter 12:  Revelations 

            Brady pulled into the visitor's parking lot in front of his parents' building.  He entered the lobby and chatted briefly with the concierge before calling up to his parents' penthouse.  He still had a set of keys for the building in case of an emergency, but he usually called up just to be courteous.  He was surprise when he wasn't buzzed up; instead, Marlena told him she'd be down in a second to let him inside.

            He waited patiently outside the security door and watched Marlena exit the elevator.  She held the door open.  "Hi," Brady said giving her a hug, "What's up?"

            "Nothing," Marlena replied pushing the elevator button.  Luckily it was still in the lobby and the doors parted immediately.  "Chloe is upstairs.  She's going to be joining us for dinner tonight, and I just wanted to give you a warning before you saw her."

            "Chloe's here?" Brady asked pushing the button in the elevator.  He felt a light jolt in his stomach.  "Are you and Belle jumping ahead of me on this list thing?"

            Marlena just shook her head.  She had never really understood Brady's sense of humor.  "I wanted to warn you that she's had a rough day.  She lost her first patient today, and she was pretty upset about it.  Craig and Nancy aren't home, so I invited her over."

            Brady's brow instantly wrinkled with concern.  "Is she all right now?"

            "She's fine," Marlena assured him as the elevator drew to a stop and the doors opened.  "I just think she could use some special attention."

            Brady caught his Mom's wink.  "I'm on the job," he said twisting open the door to the penthouse.  As he entered his parents' home, his eyes immediately sought out Chloe.  She was seated with her feet curled beneath her on the sofa beside his father.  John was busy charming her with some amusing story, and she was busy laughing at his antics.  Even from across the room, he could see that the laughter didn't reach her eyes and the weight of grief sitting on her shoulders.

            "What's up Doc?" he asked plastering a bright smile on his face.  Behind him, Marlena and John exchanged a look of shocked approval at Brady's use of their special endearment.

            "Brady," Chloe greeted overly brightly.  "I didn't know you were coming."

            It was a stupid remark brought on by her embarrassment of intruding on a family event, and he let it pass.  "Why don't you and I go take an overview of Salem? Like old times."  He gestured towards the balcony, a place where both of them had sought solace many times.  

            "That would be nice," Chloe agreed.  Brady ushered her outside.  As he shut the door behind them, he could see his parents staring through the windowpanes with sentimental smiles on their faces.  He shooed them away with a wave of his hand and a smile.

            He turned his body and attention back towards Chloe.  She was standing along the edge of the terrace running her hands outward from her body along the warm metal railing.  He drank in the sight of her for a moment.  The vibrant burning colors of the sunset were reflected in her hair as is it waved gently in the breeze.  She closed her eyes and turned her face up towards the dying rays of the sun.  She was wearing a loose pair of black drawstring trousers and a turquoise blue shirt.  Her feet were bare on the tile.  She resembled a lost child.

            Brady went to stand beside her.  He softly put his hand over hers to still its aimless wandering.  "Marlena told me that you lost a patient today."

            She lowered her head and opened her eyes but kept them fixed on the sunset.  "A little boy who had a cancerous tumor on his brain."

            "I'm sorry," he whispered.

            "There was nothing that could have been done," she explained quietly, "He went peacefully."

            Brady remained silent.  He didn't like to think about death, peaceful or otherwise.

            "There's something I never told anyone," Chloe confessed suddenly.

            "What?" he inquired.  Unexpected dread curled its way around his spine.

            "One night, while I was sick with leukemia, I woke up at 3am and couldn't breathe.  It was like a giant stone was pressing on my chest, crushing me.  I fought it for a while, but then I realized that I was going to die.  Brady, I saw," she whispered.

            "What?" Brady asked though he choked on the word.

            "The other side…heaven, I guess," she answered, her voice airy and distant.  "There was music and sweet scents and light, and it was so beautiful that I wanted to run towards it.  There was no pain or suffering there, only love, pure and unconditional.  It was like going home after a long, hard day of work.  People were waiting for me with open arms; people I didn't know and yet somehow knew.  I wasn't afraid to leave because I knew, the same way that you know that you have arms and legs, that everyone I cared about would be fine and that I wouldn't really be leaving them.  It was my time, and I was ready." The expression on her face was peaceful yet determined.

            "Then suddenly I woke up back in my bed pulling oxygen into my lungs," she continued.  "I called for the nurses immediately.  I explained to them about my death experience, but they didn't seem to really believe me.  Since the only thing they found wrong was an elevated pulse, they told me that I just had a panic attack.  I believed them.  Honestly, I did.

            "When that boy died today, Brady, I saw the same beauty, peace, and love reflected on his features in the end.  I now know for the first time that what I experienced in that hospital bed eight years ago was real," she finished and lapsed into silence.

            There were not words to express the plethora of feelings that were passing through Brady Black's mind at that moment.  Fear, sadness, pride, joy, love, they all waltzed with a thousand other nameless emotions around in his brain.  Finally he managed to whisper, "Do you think it is like that for everyone?"

            "Yes," she said with a serene smile, "I rather think it is."

            He wrapped his arms around her.  "I'm glad that you're still here."

            "So am I," she said returning his hug.  "I had too many things left to do."

            They remained locked in each other's embrace watching the sun sink below the horizon.  Eventually the sounds of happy shouts and childish squealing reached their ears.  Chloe pushed away from him.  "Belle and Shawn are here," she said turning back towards the penthouse.  "I can't wait to see Little V."

            "We need to talk," Brady called after her.

            "I know," she whispered, half-turning back towards him, "Later."

Chloe returned inside and left Brady wading in his thoughts.  _What if she hadn't survived that night?_  It was the type of question that could haunt a man for years.  Their relationship had always been a series of missed steps, but he would not trade a single memory of the past eight years, good or bad, to change any of it.  He tried to force his mind away from the 'what ifs' and focus on the fact that Chloe was alive and happy.  Although just the thought of her confession sent him into a panic, he decided that he would let Chloe's actions be his guide.  She seemed to have drawn a sense of peace and understanding from her experiences.  Brady couldn't squelch the little spark of envy that erupted in his system.  His death and the death of his loved ones was something that Brady was very far from accepting.

********

Author's Note:  I've started to write chapters for this story out of sequence because I've had ideas that needed to be written while still fresh in my mind.  As a result, the next few chapters might take me some time.  Since Chapter 13 is a continuation of Chapter 12, it should be up within the next day or two.  Thanks for your wonderful reviews.  They have been encouraging me to continue.


	13. Heavy Words

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but some thumb tacks and a subscription to Newsweek.  With the exception of Jules Archer and Max Shepard, the characters in this story are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.

Chapter 13:  Heavy Words 

Chloe felt guilty about confessing to Brady about her near-death experience.  She hadn't meant to tell him, she never intended to tell anyone, but her emotions were too raw to hold it inside.  With Brady's comforting presence, the words had slipped from her like water over a fall.  It felt good to finally admit to herself and to Brady what had happened to her all those years ago, but she regretted putting her emotional burden on him.

The appearance of Belle, Shawn, and Little V helped to lighten the mood of the dinner party.  For whatever reason, Little V's gleeful personality and childish innocence wiped away the heavy sadness of the day's events.  Chloe felt her spirits lifting with each passing moment.

Brady had strolled back into the penthouse after some solitary reflection on the balcony.  Chloe shot him a worried look, and he offered a slight smile to assure her.  The dinner proceeded with a whirl of delightful conversation and camaraderie.  Chloe felt as comfortable and secure with the Black family as she did with her own.

As the night drew to an end, Brady offered Chloe a ride home.  She accepted with a grateful smile and followed him down to the parking lot.  He helped her into the passenger side of his BMW and jogged around the car to the driver's side.  After sliding into his seat and shutting the door behind him, Brady turned to Chloe and said for the second time that night, "We need to talk."

She met his gaze and tried to read his meaning on his face.  "I know," she replied softly.

"Do you have time tonight?" he asked hesitantly, "I know you've had a rough day, but you're a tough person to track down."

"Tonight is fine," she agreed, "I feel much better after spending some time with your family."

Brady smiled and gave her leg a gentle pat before revving the car's engine to life.  Chloe tried to ignore the desire that automatically shot through her system at his touch.  She adjusted the vent so the air-conditioning would cool her flushed cheeks.

As Brady drove through the streets of Salem, Chloe tried to arrange in her mind what she wanted to say to him and with a twinge of despair wondered what Brady had to say to her.  The Mozart CD he had playing over his car's stereo saved her from having to make idle conversation while deep thoughts rested heavily on her mind.

Brady stopped the car on the road and waited for traffic pass by in the other lane.  Chloe turned her head to look out her window.  The moon shone off the lapping waves of the Salem River Reservoir.  With a confused look, Chloe turned towards the other side of the road and leaned forward so she could see around Brady.  The row of townhouses he was waiting to turn into were not familiar to her.  "Where are we?" she asked.

Caching a break in traffic, Brady made the turn into the community.  "This is where I live," he said driving through the parking lot and around the building to where rows of garages lined the back.

Chloe looked around quickly and tried to construct in her mind an image of the building that was Brady's home, but she only got a quick glance of an older style brick exterior and landscaped grounds as Brady pulled into his garage.  "It looks nice," she offered.

Brady laughed, "You barely saw it."

"Well maybe if you'd slow down Speed Racer, I could take in the view," she retorted.

He turned off the ignition and chuckled softly.  "Come on Doc, let's go."  He stepped out of the vehicle and ran around to open the car door for her.

"Ah," Chloe sighed stepping out of the BMW, "Chivalry is not dead."

"No," Brady agreed slamming the door, "but he retired to the country."

Brady's townhouse was beautifully designed.  From the garage, they entered into the kitchen.  It was a large functional room with warm Italian tile floors and counter tops, warm woods, and restaurant grade appliances.  Brady gave her a quick tour of his three-bedroom, three-bathroom home.  The old world – Italian design was carried throughout the home with art, colors, and furniture.  Chloe could tell that each element in the townhouse had been chosen with pain staking care, and unlike her loft, money had been no object in decorating.

"What do you think?" Brady asked as they settled in the living room.  He flipped a switch that was hidden behind a potted fern, and the fireplace blazed to life.

"It's very nice," she replied running her hand over the soft leather of the sofa.  The area above the living room was open to the second story, and Chloe craned her head back to take in the beautiful plasterwork on the ceiling.

"Would you like some wine?" Brady asked.

"Sure," Chloe replied.

Brady seemed to return almost instantaneously with a bottle of wine and two glasses.  He deposited the glassware on the coffee table and sat down next to her on the sofa.  Chloe watched him begin to remove the cork from the bottle, fascinated by the small movements of his arm muscles.  Brady sensed her appraisal and paused in his actions, "Don't you like this vintage?"

Chloe shook herself out of her little trance to actually read the wine label.  The only thing she knew about wine was what she liked and didn't like.  "I was just amazed by your He-Man muscles," she said quickly.

Brady laughed and pulled on the corkscrew relieving the wine bottle of its cork.  He laid the corkscrew and displaced cork beside the glasses on the table and proceeded to pour.  He reclined on the sofa, swirled the wine in his glass, inhaled the fragrance from the red liquid, and took a reserved sip.

Chloe mimicked his actions.  The scent and flavor of the wine filled her senses.  She lowered her glass and commented, "It's good."

She could read the subtle expression in his eyes as he tried to decide if she was serious.  Then he chuckled and said, "What, no mention of the smoky red current nose or silky smooth aftertaste with a hint of smoky, tarry flavor?"

Chloe peered timidly into her glass.  She took another sip, but she couldn't quite understand how he could experience all that in a glass of wine.  "It's good," she repeated.

"Yes indeed," Brady murmured between his smiling lips before taking another sip.  "Remind me to take you to a wine tasting festival some time."

"I'd like that," Chloe replied.  She felt his intense eyes upon her, but she couldn't seem to meet them.  Instead, she gazed into her wine glass and took another nervous sip.

"Chloe," Brady called.  She reluctantly dragged her eyes to his.  "We need to talk."

A corner of her mouth turned up in a smile.  "That's the third time you've said it tonight."

"I know," he sighed looking towards the ceiling for patience.  "I meant it."

Chloe shifted her position, drawing her feet underneath her as she turned to face him.  "Okay," she said, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Us," he replied turning his own body so that they were facing each other.

Chloe built up her courage.  This conversation was inevitable even if unpleasant.  She feared what she might hear; yet at the same time, she needed to hear it.  "I've spent a lot of time since I returned to Salem thinking about us," she admitted.

"I have too," he sighed.  He turned his head away from her and stared vacantly out the window.  Chloe recognized the gesture.  He wasn't ignoring her.  He was just searching deep into his memory.  

Silence lapsed between them.  Finally Chloe let the question she had pondered in her mind escape her lips, "What happened between us?"

"I don't know, Chloe," he whispered philosophically.  "I don't think either of us were looking for the other one when we discovered each other.  I was too messed up and angry.  It took me a while to figure out that you were what I needed in my life."

"And, I was too angry and messed up," she inserted with a rye smile, "It took me even longer to realize that you were the one I wanted."

"I know," he returned, "Sometimes I think that you and I are the same person in two different skins.  From the beginning, I thought a relationship between us was as unavoidable as the sunset."

"Yet we managed to avoid it," she sighed.

"I'm sorry Chloe," he said turning suddenly back towards her.  "I didn't have to go to England."

Chloe felt a sting of pain in her chest.  She had expected him to say many things, but not that.  "What do you mean?" she squeaked.

"It's not what it sounds like," he quickly explained, "Basic Black needed someone over there.  They just didn't need me specifically."

Chloe couldn't stop herself, "Why did you go then?"

He sighed heavily, took a deep draft of his wine, and hung his head.  "I was afraid," he admitted.  "Thoughts of you consumed my every waking and sleeping moment.  You were my obsession, and I was so desperate for you that it scared me.  I couldn't assert myself because I was afraid that you wouldn't return my feelings, and I was terrified that you would.  It seemed like a miracle when we were together, but I couldn't silence the doubts in my mind.  Deep down I didn't trust that you really wanted to be with me.  Ever since my Mom died, part of me is always waiting for the people I care about to leave.  The only way I saw to avoid the pain of separation was to escape first.  I ran away to England and ended our relationship before you could have a chance to finish it off."

Chloe felt mildly blown away by Brady's response, but her understanding squelched her surprise.  She had run away without ever moving.  "You don't have to shoulder all the blame in this instance Brady," she stated, "I understand. I was feeling the same emotions.  We just had different approaches to dealing with them."

She sat down her wine glass and propped her head with an angled arm against the sofa back.  "I pushed you away.  I fought against getting involved with you.  At first, it was because I believed I was in love with Phillip.  Then, I pushed you away because I was sick and didn't want to be a burden to you."  She took a deep breath because the next words were hard to say, and she was ashamed to speak them.  "Finally, I tried to avoid a serious relationship with you because I was afraid that it would interfere with my medical career."

Brady winced at her harsh admission.  "I never would have stood in the way of you becoming a doctor," he whispered brokenly.

"I know," she agreed.  "You were never anything but supportive of my decisions, even when no one else in my life was sure.  I kept putting you off because there was always another mountain I felt I had to climb.  I understand now that it wasn't really you that I believed would hold me back.  It was my feelings for you.  I felt a stronger connection to you than I have ever felt for another human being, and it scared me.  I never wanted to acknowledge those feelings because if I did, then I feared they would consume me.  That's why I dated men like Phillip.  With him, I could be loved and admired without engaging too much of my heart.  I pushed you away, but I never meant to drive you out of my life.  I was so shocked the day I turned around and realized that you weren't there.  Unfortunately by that time, we were so far apart that I didn't know how to get back."

Their respective declarations lingered in the silence that overwhelmed them.  It fell down upon their souls like heavy rain.  Neither was proud of their admissions, and both were injured by the other's words.  The tension in the room made the air chokingly thick.  

Suddenly, Brady started to laugh.  He clutched his sides and gave into his mirth completely.  At first, Chloe stared at him as if he had sprouted another head.  Then, she began to realize the absurdity of their situation and joined him.  They laughed and giggled hysterically together until they were both gasping for air.  "We were a pretty pair of children playing at being adults," Chloe managed between lingering chuckles.

"I know," Brady uttered.  His face regained some of its seriousness.  "I'm sorry that I didn't try harder.  I'm sorry that I stopped talking."

"I'm sorry that I pushed you away.  I'm sorry that I stopped listening," she returned.

"Apology accepted," they said in unison.  They dissolved into another fit of laughter.

"Where do we go from here?" Chloe asked hesitantly as they regained their composure.

Brady almost succeeded in completely concealing his nervousness when he said, "I'd like to give us another chance.  I want to do everything right this time; no more misunderstandings, no more hiding our feelings, and no more running away."

Chloe's heart leapt.  Another chance was all she wanted, another chance was all she needed, but an ugly thought danced through her mind.  "I want that too, Brady," she said letting her sincerity shine in her eyes, "but I'm afraid that I don't have the time to devote to a relationship.   I work exhausting hours at the hospital.  While eventually my schedule will lighten up, it's going to remain this way for a few years.  I don't think it's fair for you to have half a girlfriend."

"Half, whole, I don't care.  I just want you Chloe," he stated adamantly.  He reached forward and grasped her hands in his.  "I don't want to stop you from reaching your goals.  I want to help you along the way."

"I know that," she insisted, "but you don't have any idea how demanding residency can be.  I was slowly acclimated to the long hours in medical school, but you're used to setting your own timetable for things.  I don't get weekends off, and I have to work some evenings.  I get really tried and probably crabby too."

A spark of anger leapt in his eyes.  "You can't push me away this time, Chloe," he muttered, "and I'm not going to run away from you."

Her eyes widened.  She was falling back into that old way of thinking that she had just admonished earlier in their conversation.  "I'm so sorry Brady," she cried leaping to embrace him.  "I was doing it again.  Yes!  Yes, I want to give us a chance."

His arms tightened around her, and Chloe felt the lines of tension drain from him.  "Just let me take care of everything Chloe," he said, "I've got one hundred and sixty-five ways around your schedule."

"What are you talking about?" Chloe asked drawing back in confusion.

He laughed and kissed the tip of her wrinkled nose.  "Never mind," he said drawing her back into his embrace, "I'll explain later."

********

Author's Note:  WHEW!  That was a difficult chapter for me to write.   Again, thanks for your great reviews.  I read and consider each of them.  This story has been very fun for me to write, and there is much more to come in the future.  The next few chapters that I've started on and are planning will be lighter in mood (more zany antics by Jules and Belle).


	14. Zebras, Elephants, and Giraffes

**Disclaimer:** Me = poor, no sue. Days of Our Lives and their characters are the property of others.  
  
**A/N:** It's been like a million years since I've updated this fan fiction. I stopped watching DOOL about the same time I stopped updating this fic, so don't expect anything that's happened in the last couple of years to appear. I probably won't finish this fic as originally planned, but I may add more chapters that I already have finished or mostly finished to try and wrap things up.  
  
**Chapter 14: Elephants, Zebras, and Giraffes**  
  
At two o'clock in the morning, Chloe was awoken when she fell off a dinning room chair. She absently rubbed her eyes as she tried to clear her disoriented mind. Her rump was sore from her fall, and the light above the table was blinding her. She struggled to get up and squinted her eyes as she looked around the room.  
  
She hazily remember leaving the hospital and taking the bus home. Then, Jules had stopped her in the club for a quick conversation, but Chloe didn't remember what they'd talked about. She had come up the stairs, turned on the lights, saw the mail on the table, and then... she must have fallen asleep. _Good God_, she thought, _Jules is going to have to buy a whole filing cabinet to house my blackmail file_. There was no doubt in Chloe's mind that Jules had captured her most recent slip on film. The woman seemed to have a sixth sense for anytime Chloe was in a situation even the least bit embarrassing.  
  
The muffled sound of a bass beat permeated the floorboards. Chloe checked her watch and stretched awkwardly. The Wednesday night dance party was still going strong, but the club would be closing in an hour. She sunk back down into the chair she had previously vacated, and decided to finish the task she had started over five hours ago.  
  
"Junk, junk, junk, bill, junk," she murmured shuffling through the huge stack of mail piled on the table. Chloe hadn't bothered to sort the mail in days, not since she began her shift in the oncology ward. Excited to finally be working in the specialty where she would soon be focusing her attention, she had been putting in extra long hours. Unfortunately, that had meant less time with Brady.  
  
After their heart to heart conversation a few weeks ago, Chloe and Brady's relationship had continued on smashingly. He seemed to have an endless supply of original activities and fun surprises for her. Brady always managed to appear just at the moment she needed a break, and he never protested when she would get called away. There were countless surprise luncheons, movie nights, and dinners out around town. Chloe was in heaven.  
  
She reluctantly turned her mind from daydreaming as a little yellow envelope captured her attention. Playful stickers of zoo animals covered both the front and the back. She smiled at the familiar return address. Opening the envelope gingerly, she removed a little card shaped like the biblical ark. "You're invited," she read, "to a baby shower for Isabella Brady on Sunday the fifteenth of September at the home of Shawn and Isabella Brady." Chloe swung her eyes over to her poor graffiti-covered calendar. She sighed with relief that the Sunday of Belle's shower was marked as a day off. Hopefully, they hadn't planned the party around her work schedule, but Chloe suspected otherwise.  
  
Below the printed invitation was a handwritten note from Belle that read, "Chloe, I wanted to ask Jules and Max to come, but I didn't know if they would feel comfortable. Please bring them with you if you think they would enjoy the shower." Chloe laughed. She couldn't help it. Jules not enjoy a baby shower, impossible. Jules went absolutely insane for showers, baby or otherwise. As for Max, he went wherever Jules led. Chloe made a mental note to extend Belle's invitation tomorrow.  
  
Stifling a tremendous yawn, Chloe turned off the lights and shuffled into her bedroom. She checked her alarm clock to ensure it was set for 5am. Kicking off her shoes, she collapsed on the bed. A smile spread across her face at the blissful thought of another two and a half hours of sleep.  
  
On the day of the baby shower, Jules, Max, and Chloe all piled into Max's red Honda. Jules had toned down her look significantly for the party. She wore a light pink sweater, a calf-length baby blue skirt, and a pair of glittery platform sneakers. Shockingly, she had returned her hair to its natural shade of dark brown for the party even though she had it styled in pigtails adorned with miniature baby bottles. Max had followed Jules' lead and worn a rather conservative pair of khaki pants and his most low-key Hawaiian shirt. Chloe had chosen for herself a comfortable pair of shorts and a muted green shirt. She had also brought a cute little straw hat in case they were outdoors.  
  
It was a warm and sunny early fall afternoon, so the trio had the windows down and the music up as they careened through the streets of Salem. All three of the occupants were bobbing their heads in unison to the rhythm of _Walking on Sunshine_ by Katrina and The Waves. Chloe, Max, and Jules sang along with the lyrics at the top of their lungs. The girls howled with delight every time Max accelerated around a curve in the road.  
  
"There it is," Chloe cried with delight as she spotted a mailbox adorned with balloons. Cars filled Belle and Shawn's driveway and lined their street. In a single swift and smooth move, Max pulled to the side of the road behind a black SUV and slammed on the breaks. Chloe lurched forward at their sudden stop and quickly readjusted her hat. "We're here!" she cheered.  
  
"In one piece," Jules chimed.  
  
Max's expression didn't dim as he said smugly, "What did I tell you ladies? Man, machine, and the road...a perfect trio."  
  
"Unless that machine is an air conditioner," Chloe quipped as she slid out of the back seat.  
  
"Or a dishwasher," Jules added slamming the passenger side door.  
  
"Or a smoke detector," Chloe remembered as she pulled her large, brightly wrapped gift from the trunk.  
  
"Ladies, ladies, ladies," Max interrupted. "Please, you could bruise my ego."  
  
Jules leveled Max with a straight-faced glare as she pulled out her gifts from the trunk. "Max," she moaned playfully, "There isn't a baseball bat in the entire world big enough to bruise your ego."  
  
Max's face split in a giant grin as he wrapped an arm around each of his companions' waists, and they started strolling up the front walk together. "Ladies," he sighed dramatically, "You are correct, but please remember that some men are not as gallant and strong as myself."  
  
Chloe and Jules simultaneously dissolved into giggles. Jules gingerly pushed the doorbell four times quickly and squealed with delight at chimes.  
  
The door swung open to reveal a sophisticatedly dressed Marlena. She took one look at the trio's identical devilish grins and said, "Why do I have the sudden urge to run away?"  
  
"Dr. Evans," Chloe greeted cheerfully while fobbing her gift off on Max and reaching forward to hug Marlena.  
  
"Welcome Chloe," Marlena smiled. As soon Chloe withdrew, Jules dumped her gifts on Max as well and leapt forward into Marlena's arms.  
  
"Thank you so much for inviting us," she cried with delight.  
  
"You're welcome," Marlena uttered awkwardly. She was obviously surprised at being engulfed in an amazingly strong hug by the tiny woman. As Jules withdrew, Marlena directed, "You can place the gifts in the living room, just down the hall to the right. There's a buffet set up in the dinning room to the left, and I think everyone is pretty much outside in the back yard." Max shot Marlena a charming smile and a wink as he followed the girls down hall. Marlena shut the door and smiled at their retreating backs. She felt a little bit like she'd been knocked down by a strong wind.  
  
Chloe immerged through the patio doors onto Belle and Shawn's deck balancing a paper plate from the buffet and a glass of punch in her hand. She scanned the grounds hastily but stopped when she saw Brady bounding across the lawn towards her.  
  
"Hi," he said grabbing her plate from her. "I saved room at your parents' table."  
  
"Hey Brady-wady, aren't you going to carry my plate too?" Jules piped in from behind her.  
  
Brady's eyes widened as he surveyed the massive mound of food Jules had piled on her plate. The poor thing nearly buckled under the weight. "Sorry Jules," he muttered, "I left the forklift at home."  
  
Jules chuckled and let an unladylike snort escape. Max then appeared behind her with his very own mound of food and made playful snorting sounds at her. "Stop it you two," Chloe reprimanded. She hooked her arm in Brady's and said, "Lead the way."  
  
Brady escorted them through the huge crowd of people who were gathered to help celebrate. The entire Horton and Brady clans seemed to have made an appearance along with a multitude of familiar faces from around Salem. Brady led them to a large picnic table located under the shade of an oak tree where her parents were seated next to each other.  
  
Craig and Nancy brightened immediately when they saw Brady leading the trio towards them. Max slid in beside Nancy, wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and gifted her with his most flirtatious wink-smile combination. "Mrs. Wesley," he said, "How is my favorite radio personality in the entire United States?"  
  
Nancy girlishly giggled. "Just fine Max, you little charmer."  
  
"Fancy Nancy!" Jules beamed brightly plopping down across from Max.  
  
"Ms. Archer," Nancy replied with a phony air of superiority, but she could hide her smile.  
  
"It look like you've been forgotten again Dad," Chloe commented settling herself elegantly across from Craig at the end of the bench.  
  
"Not surprising with my two stunningly beautiful ladies around," Craig stated proudly sending a wink in her direction.  
  
"What about me, Chief-Mr.-Dr.-Wesley-Sir?" Jules demanded. Craig's nickname originated from the first time Jules had met Chloe's parents. Desperate to impress them, Jules had become flustered while trying to determine the proper way to address the prestigious doctor.  
  
"Of course, you too Jules," Craig added.  
  
The only space left open for Brady was between Jules and Chloe. "Ah," he remarked smartly while sitting down, "A rose between two thorns." His cheekiness earned him respective slaps from both sides.  
  
"Watch you're plate, Brady," Craig cautioned candidly.  
  
Chloe smiled ruefully as Brady waved him off and became engrossed in the conversation. Unfortunately for him, the meaning of Craig's warning didn't strike Brady until after Jules had emptied her plate. Chloe watched his confusion grow as his food began mysteriously disappearing. Finally, he caught Jules red-handed stuffing melon balls off his plate into her mouth. "You could just go in and get more," he suggested.  
  
"What?" she mumbled innocently though her cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk's.  
  
Brady groaned and shoved his plate towards Jules, which she accepted graciously. Then he turned and nabbed a radish off Chloe's plate.  
  
"Hey," Chloe protested. She leaned back to glare at Jules as she sneakily reached across the table to pluck a cube of cheddar cheese off Craig's plate. She scolded her friend, "See what you've started?"  
  
The entire table erupted in laughter. The conversations continued onward as food moved randomly from one plate to another.  
  
After they had stolen their fill, Brady and Chloe excused themselves from the table to go do the meet and greet. A table filled with Salem High alumni was the first place where they paused. Kevin, Susan, Jason, Penelope, and a few other familiar faces Chloe couldn't match with names were all crammed around a small table.  
  
Kevin immediately stood and embraced Chloe, an action the shy Kevin Lambert she remembered never would have done. His dark hair was disheveled and a few days growth of beard obscured his jaw. A stylish pair of gold-rimmed spectacles had replaced the old clunky glasses he favored in high school. His slightly wrinkled dress pants and partially untucked shirt completed his messy appearance. He had the look of someone who had been too preoccupied to clean up for the party.  
  
"How are you doing?" Chloe asked politely.  
  
"I'm fine," he replied, "Swamped at work."  
  
Chloe searched her mind, but she couldn't recall what Kevin did for a living. She didn't even remember where he had gone after graduating. "Oh," she sighed, "Where are you now?"  
  
"I've been working for the Salem PD crime lab for a few years now," he replied.  
  
"I didn't know you were interested in forensic science," she commented.  
  
"I wasn't," he admitted, "While I was in college, I took a part time job as a crime-scene technician. I've been doing it ever since. When I finished my master's degree, I heard that the Salem PD was undergoing a major reorganization and renovation of their lab facilities. Both Susan and I were hired at that time."  
  
Chloe shot a surprised look at the woman seated across from Kevin. Susan had slimmed down a bit from what Chloe remembered. Her hair, make-up, and cloths were all stylish and well manicured. Her neat appearance was the exact opposite of Kevin's. "You both work in the police crime lab?" Chloe asked incredulously.  
  
"Yeah although we took different paths to reach there," Susan smiled revealing perfectly straight, even teeth, "Kev was into chemistry, and my focus throughout school was microbiology. My specialty is DNA analysis. The job at the Salem PD was the first one I was offered after graduation, but I've grown to really love the field."  
  
From the looks Susan was exchanging with Kevin, Chloe thought that forensic science wasn't the only thing she had grown to love.  
  
"Chloe," Brady interrupted, "I see Belle waving at us. We should head over there."  
  
"Of course," Chloe agreed. Brady and Chloe detached themselves from the table and began migrating over towards the center of the party. Family and friends stopped them several times along the way, but they only paused long enough to exchange a few pleasantries.  
  
Belle was seated beside Shawn on an otherwise empty table, but discarded napkins and cups hinted that the chairs had been recently occupied. Belle's middle had grown even larger during the last months of her pregnancy, but she still appeared as delicate and beautiful as ever. Today she was wearing flattering baby-doll style pink sundress with a yellow rose corsage pinned to one strap. On top of her head was a homemade tiara, and around her neck was a white feather boa. As her eyes caught sight of Brady and Chloe, she smiled and waved for them to sit down.  
  
"Chloe," Belle exclaimed, "I saw you come out of the house, but Brady whisked you away before I could say hello."  
  
"What she means," Shawn quipped, "is that she didn't want to get out of the chair." A killer glance from Belle stayed his tongue.  
  
"What's with the dust and feathers, Tink?" Brady asked brushing some of the glitter that had come loose from her crown off her shoulder.  
  
Belle looked at her brother with a beaming smile. "Shawn thought I needed a little pizzazz to help me stick out in the crowd. Since I shot down his proposal for a 'Wide Load' sign, he and Little V came up with this idea."  
  
"It's cute," Chloe commented smiling at the unevenly cut crown. "Don't let Jules see it, or she'll try to steal it."  
  
Belle's eyes brightened. "Jules and Max made it?"  
  
"Yeah," Chloe replied, "Jules loves parties, especially baby showers. She and Max are keeping my parents company."  
  
"I'm glad they're here," Belle sighed. Chloe got an uneasy feeling as Belle leaned back, placed a nurturing hand on her stomach, and let her eyes dart between Brady and Chloe. "I see that you two seemed to have worked things out nicely."  
  
Chloe blushed. She smiled shyly, but her eyes sparkled brightly. There were not enough words in the English language to sum up how wonderful the past few weeks had been. "It's been wonderful," she sighed.  
  
Chloe's eyes widened with alarm as Belle burst into tears. She shot a questioning look towards Shawn.  
  
Shawn pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Belle. "Don't worry about it," he said nonchalantly ignoring his wife tears, "You aren't the first person to make her cry today. That honor belongs to Oscar the Grouch."  
  
"What?" Brady blurted.  
  
"She got all upset when Oscar told Telly to scram," Shawn replied wrapping a comforting arm around Belle.  
  
"He's just so mean," Belle sobbed.  
  
"Then she cried when the toast got stuck in the toaster," Shawn explained.  
  
"It might have burned," Belle hiccupped.  
  
"Next, she started crying along with Little V when he refused to take his bath," Shawn continued.  
  
"He was so upset," Belle moaned.  
  
"Honestly," Shawn sighed, "She's worse than a malfunctioning sprinkler system. It's been this way for the past month."  
  
"Man I pity you," Brady uttered sympathetically. "How do you make her stop?"  
  
Belle wailed louder, and Chloe elbowed Brady firmly in the ribcage. As he grunted in pain, Belle's tears dissolved into laughter. "Well that worked," Chloe said smugly.  
  
"Ow," Brady muttered, but he smiled at his sister's change in mood.  
  
Before the conversation could continue, John came up behind them and placed a hand on Belle's shoulder. "Honey, your mother thinks its time for you to open gifts." Catching a glimpse of his daughter's tear stained face, he asked, "Oscar strikes again?"  
  
The quartet just laughed in response. Brady and Shawn helped Belle to stand, and they made their way inside the house.  
  
Belle and Shawn's house was large, but it didn't take long for the family room to fill up with people as everyone crammed to get a good view. Chloe chuckled as she saw a determined Jules and a confused Max push their way towards the front of the crowd.  
  
Chloe sat next to Brady on the love seat. His arm was wrapped casually around her waist, and the plush seat cushions made their hips naturally dip to touch one another. All was right with the world. Chloe leaned her head on his shoulder and laughed with delight at Little V's enthusiasm.  
  
Little V sat eagerly at his mother's feet greedily eyeing the mountain of presents in front of her. Belle barely had time to grab the card off the gifts and read the name signed before Little V tore into them. Mostly, he seemed to be disappointed with large of amounts of baby clothes and other baby paraphernalia, but a few of the toys held his interest for a while. Suddenly, his eyes widened when they fell upon two packages wrapped in zebra print paper and neon green ribbon.  
  
"Those are from Max and Jules," Chloe whispered into Brady's ear.  
  
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" he murmured back.  
  
Little V tore into the first large rectangular package. He pulled it open and held it up for his mother to examine. Belle's face clouded with confusion as she gazed into box. "Oh my gosh," she whispered, "Shawn give me a hand."  
  
Together, Belle and Shawn unfurled a baby quilt. It was a pleasing mix of pastel blocks and prominent squares featuring cartoon jungle animals. The border was a delightful yellow fabric with a childish pattern of elephants and palm trees. The guests oohed and awed appropriately. "It's beautiful," Belle cooed looking over towards Jules, "Where did you find it? I looked all over for a quilt to match the our nursery theme."  
  
In eight years of knowing her, Chloe had never seen Jules blush. She was amazed to see her friend's cheeks turn red. "I made it," she admitted.  
  
"You made this," Belle gasped her eyes filling with tears, "How did you know? When did you have time?"  
  
"After the baby is born," Jules continued awkwardly ignoring Belle's questions, "I'll embroider the baby's name and birth date on the center square."  
  
Tears began flowing freely down Belle's cheeks, and Shawn released a weary sigh and withdrew a clean tissue from his pocket for his wife. His voice full of emotion he said, "Thank you Jules and Max."  
  
"You're welcome," Max replied smiling as if he was responsible for the work of art.  
  
"Jules quilts?" Brady inquired in Chloe's ear.  
  
"Yes," Chloe replied with a nod of her head, "and knits as well."  
  
"That was something I wouldn't guess," Brady commented.  
  
"Not many people do," Chloe whispered.  
  
Annoyed with his mother's preoccupation with the quilt, Little V gave Belle's dress a tug. "Another one, Mommy," he cried holding up the smaller zebra striped package.  
  
Belle smiled through her tears as she read the tag on the gift. "That one is for you, Little V."  
  
Clearly not trusting his mother, Victor raised his eyes to his father. "Baby's present," he declared.  
  
"Belle and Shawn had a long talk with Little V today about how all the presents were for the baby," Brady explained when he recognized Chloe's bemused look.  
  
Shawn made a careful inspection of the package and said, "No Little V, that's yours."  
  
Victor squealed with delight and shredded the wrapping paper. He struggled a moment with box before pulling out a bright red and yellow dump truck. "Say thank you to Jules and Max," Belle reminded him pointing towards the couple. The toddler waddled over to them and planted big wet kisses on their cheeks. Jules clearly loved the attention, but Max was a bit hesitant.  
  
"I don't think anything is going to top Jules' gift," Brady remarked absently to Chloe.  
  
"We'll see," she murmured slyly.  
  
"Why? What did you get them?" he prodded.  
  
"You'll just have to wait," she smiled.  
  
With the help of his father, Little V pulled Chloe's large gift to his mother's feet. As a family, they pulled the paper down to reveal a wicker basket full of baby things. There was a toy that flashed lights and played Mozart, a super-soft stuffed giraffe and elephant, a toy police car for Little V, and a slim wrapped package. "What's this?" Belle asked raising her eyes to Chloe.  
  
"Open it and see, silly," Chloe playfully answered.  
  
Belle carefully slid her fingers under the wrapping paper and unfolded it to expose a homemade CD. She giggled when she saw the cover. "Music to Tame the Savage Beast," it read above of an Anne Geddes photo of a baby dressed in a lion suit. When she flipped open the CD case to read the inside cover, she started to tear up again.  
  
"What is it?" a voice that might have belonged to John called from the back of the room.  
  
Shawn pulled the CD from his distraught wife. He read the insert and smiled before holding it up for the crowd to see. "It's a CD of lullabies as sung by our friend Chloe Wesley," he explained.  
  
There was a smattering of applause, and it was Chloe's turn to blush. "Hopefully it won't give the baby nightmares," she joked.  
  
As the crowd's attention returned to the gift opening, Brady leaned his head towards Chloe. "You two are making me look like an untalented schmuck with your gifts."  
  
Chloe patted his knee reassuringly. "Why? What did you get them?" she asked  
  
"I hired a company to custom build a playground in their back yard," he whispered in reply.  
  
"With swings and slides and monkey bars?" she demanded excitedly.  
  
"With all the trimmings," he laughed. "Do you want one too?"  
  
Chloe's eyes sparkled with mischief as she pictured a playground on the roof of Fantabulous. Strangely, it wouldn't seem out of place there. "I think I'll pass," she sighed.  
  
"Don't look so down," Brady ordered, "Maybe Little V and the baby will let you play on theirs."  
  
Chloe, Jules, and Max stayed at the shower long after the other guests had left. They had lingered to help Belle and Shawn clean up. Chloe was just finishing putting the last of the dishes in dishwasher when Belle poked her head into the kitchen. "Chloe could you come into the living room for a minute?" she asked.  
  
"Sure," Chloe replied shooting a confirming glance to Jules.  
  
"Max and I can finish up in here," Jules automatically offered.  
  
Chloe felt a shiver of apprehension as she followed Belle into the family room. Brady, John, Marlena, Hope, Bo, Zack, and Shawn had fixed upon her with eager eyes. Chloe laughed anxiously as she sat down next to Brady. He shot her a reassuring grin and caught her fidgeting hands in his. Chloe's trepidation grew as the expressions of those around them softened to the point of being mushy.  
  
"Chloe," Belle began, "Shawn and I have a very important question to ask you?"  
  
"Okay," she answered hesitantly.  
  
"We'd like you to be the Godmother to our new baby," Shawn announced with a smile.  
  
"Are you serious?" Chloe gasped sending shocked looks around the room.  
  
"Yes, you silly goose," Belle giggled. "We want you and Brady to be the baby's Godparents."  
  
Chloe's eyes darted quickly to Brady, but she couldn't read his hooded expression. With a smile, she jumped up and walked over to embrace Belle and Shawn. "I would be honored," she whispered passionately. Her declaration caused Belle to burst into tears yet again. Chloe just laughed as she hugged her friend and clumsily wiped away her own tears.  
  
"I'm sorry to interrupt this touching moment," Jules hesitantly announced from the back of the room, "but I think Max broke your dishwasher."  
  
Laughter echoed through the house. 


End file.
